Beauty Is In The Eye Of The Beholder
by SantittanyForever
Summary: After being left sightless following a severe blow to the head a few months ago, Brittany is hesitant to get out and experience the world when it is now shrouded in darkness. But when she meets the enigmatic Santana Lopez, she finds out that it is possible to overcome her fears and start to live her life again. AU. Rated M for future chapters.
1. Chapter 1

"Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see."- Mark Twain

* * *

_Santana_

Santana loved her spontaneous trips to the library. Unbeknownst to her friends, she had a thriving love for books; she loved nothing more than diving into fictitious worlds, reading about witchcraft and mystical creatures and foreign lands, immersing herself in stories of brave heroes and corrupt villains and quests for power and righteousness.

Her latest conquest was the Hunger Games trilogy. She had breezed through the first two within the space of a week, and so was eager to read the third one before the release of the movie in a few weeks' time.

She found the book relatively easily, much to her delight, and then walked over to her favourite spot in the centre of the library; this consisted of a bunch of soft, padded chairs, arranged loosely in circle formation, around a small, round table, which was adorned with depictions of fairy tale creatures and lands far, far away, drawn by the children from the local primary school, who frequented the library regularly. One of the main reasons she refused to tell her friends about her weekly excursions was because she knew they would poke fun at her, especially Quinn, who was known and somewhat feared for her sharp tongue and quick wit. But here, she could forget all about the outside world, and simply lose herself in the majesty of these wonderful stories. She settled into her seat, crossing one leg over the other, and opened the book to chapter one, smiling in excitement as her eyes begin to eagerly drink in the words laid out before her.

'I stare down at my shoes, watching as a fine layer of ash settles on the worn leather...'

* * *

A while later, Santana glanced up, stretching her back and sighing contentedly. She then noticed a striking blonde sitting a few tables across from her, hunched over a book. The woman immediately drew Santana in; so much so, that Santana didn't notice the woman's hands flitting over the fine Braille bumps that lined the page of her book - she was too captivated by her immense beauty; pale, smooth skin surrounded by a halo of golden blonde hair, Santana found herself enthralled by this woman within seconds of laying her eyes on her. Santana also noticed the blonde's large blue eyes, and found herself intrigued by the vagueness of them; they somehow seemed to be looking at everything and nothing all at once, which Santana found strangely fascinating.

Santana then decided to attempt to get the woman to notice her presence, in the hope of then engaging her in conversation. She coughed and shuffled the pages of her book subtly to get the mysterious woman's attention, but was affronted when the blonde didn't even look up, seemingly not registering the disruption at all. She then decided to make more noise, dropping her book loudly on the table in front of her; this action did incite a reaction from the blonde, who looked up from her book in confusion. But, instead of meeting Santana's curious gaze, the blonde stared straight past her, cocking her head to the side, her expression slightly perturbed, seeming totally indifferent to the brunette staring directly at her. Santana simply stared at the blonde in bewilderment, mouth agape, unable to comprehend what had just happened. The way the woman practically looked THROUGH her, it was almost as if she was completely invisible. Santana took a few deep breaths, attempting to quell the anger she felt slowly building within her. If there was one thing Santana Lopez hated, it was being ignored, especially by pretty girls.

Santana then heard a buzz emanating from the blonde's pocket, and she watched as the woman brought out a phone and flipped it open. She spoke softly for a few moments to whomever had called her, and then closed her book and stood a few seconds later, giving Santana a full view of her slim body and long legs. Santana saw this as an opportunity to confront the blonde about her apparent lack of manners when it came to acknowledging people. She began to make her way over to the table across the room where the blonde had been sitting seconds earlier, and was about to give the apparently ill-mannered stranger a piece of her mind, when the blonde reached into her bag, which was resting in the crook of her arm, and pulled out a silver pole, which was folded into several pieces. She then proceeded to attach each end together, until the pole was stretched out ahead of her, and held it firmly in one hand, looping a band around her wrist that Santana saw was attached to the handle of the pole. She also retrieved the sunglasses that were draped over the front of her top, held securely by a piece of string around her neck, and slid them on gently. She breathed out slowly once that was done, and Santana could swear that she was emitting a sigh of relief, almost as if the pole and sunglasses made her feel safe. By this point, Santana had put two and two together, coming to the realisation that the girl she had been staring at for the past fifteen minutes was in fact visually impaired; in other words, she was completely blind and unable to see a thing. Santana immediately felt guilty for her childish behaviour, chastising herself for being so haughty and abrasive in her judgments of the innocent woman, when in reality she knew nothing about her.

Santana then moved to leave, deciding to check out her book, then head home and enjoy the rest of her evening snuggled on the sofa watching Friends re-runs. She turned towards the door which was situated behind her, but halted when she heard a loud crash behind her. She spun around, eyes darting across the room, trying to locate the source of the commotion. She soon found it in the form of the blonde, who was stood amidst an array of books which were scattered around her, breathing rapidly and blushing furiously. Santana assessed the situation, and quickly came to the conclusion that the woman must have misjudged the amount of room between herself and the book case to her left, resulting in a collision and the subsequent clatter of books tumbling to the floor. The brunette figured all of this out in mere seconds, and then found her feet carrying her over to the obviously distressed woman before she had even made a conscious decision to help her.

"Hey! Um, are you okay?"

Santana stood awkwardly in front of the woman, not really knowing what to do until the woman gave her an answer.

"Uhh, yeah, I'm fine. I just didn't realise how close I was to the bookcase. Sorry about the disturbance and the mess." She spoke apologetically, fiddling nervously with the frame of her sunglasses.

Santana frowned in confusion at the woman's sincere apology, before realising what she meant.

"I don't work here." She chuckled, smiling when she saw the corners of the blonde's mouth turn upwards slightly.

"Oh," she replied, her voice noticeably brighter at hearing the friendly tone in Santana's voice," Well, that makes me feel a whole lot better already."

Santana opened her mouth to reply, hesitating slightly before speaking.

"So, uh, you want me to help you, or...?" Santana tailed off quietly, not quite sure of how the woman would react when offered help.

But the blonde simply smiled gratefully, nodding and answering with a soft, "Yes please."

Santana smiled back softly, but her smile was tinged with sadness as she realise that the woman couldn't see how glad Santana was to be speaking to her.

The brunette then bent down swiftly, gathering up the books that were strewn across the floor, placing them back in their respective sections on the shelf. She then stood up straight, clearing her throat awkwardly and wondering how to proceed. The blonde saved her from too much deliberation by holding out her hand to Santana:

"I'm Brittany by the way."

Brittany. The name suited her.

Santana then reached out and took Brittany's hand in her own, giggling shyly before answering, "Nice to meet you, Brittany. I'm Santana."

Their hands lingered for a split second, before Brittany pulled hers away and smiled nervously.

"Well, I'd better be going. My roommate's waiting outside for me in her car. Thanks for your help... Santana."

Brittany rolled the name around on her tongue beautifully; Santana loved the way it sounded when Brittany said it.

"Oh, okay. Well, um, see you around?" Santana mumbled, suddenly feeling rather self-conscious about the intensity of their connection.

"Yeah. See ya." Brittany replied, giving Santana one last smile before she began making her way slowly towards the exit with the aid of her guide stick. She called out once more to the librarian behind the front desk, signalling that she was borrowing the book she had been reading. The small, red-haired woman replied with a friendly, "Enjoy!" before the blonde pushed open the door with a small smile, obviously welcoming the cool breeze that greeted her.

Santana watched her leave until she had completely left the building, only then letting out the breath she hadn't even realised she was holding in. She then shook her head, attempting to clear the haze in her mind that Brittany seemed to have unknowingly created, and walked over to the desk, smiling distractedly at the clerk who recognised Santana, quickly stamping her book and handing it back to her. Santana took it and muttered a quiet "Thank you", before walking briskly out of the front doors, unable to get the thought of Brittany out of her head.

* * *

_Brittany_

Brittany cherished her occasional visits to the local library. After the accident that had occurred a few months ago and had left her unable to see, she was barely allowed to even walk to the bathroom without someone accompanying her; this was one of the only times she was allowed to indulge in some time alone, without anyone following her around or mollycoddling her as if she was a small child. She loved knowing that for a few blissful hours, Rachel would drop her off and leave her to indulge in the wild fantasises only found in books; this library had an extensive collection of Braille books, which pleased Brittany immensely, and so she had quickly familiarised herself with the layout of the floor so she knew exactly where to head when she wanted a good book.

She padded in softly, using her guide stick to avoid the assorted book carts that she knew were scattered around the front desk. She called out a hello to Emma Pillsbury, the librarian who worked at the front desk, before making her way leisurely over to the now-familiar right side of the library, which was where the Braille books were located. She moved to where she knew the fiction books were kept, running her hand along the spine of each until she found what she was looking for. She had been itching to read The Perks Of Being A Wallflower for an immeasurable amount of time now, so when she had called the library and found out they had it in stock, she had begged Rachel to drive her here so she could begin reading it as soon as possible.

She pulled the book gently out of its segment and grinned, ecstatic that she finally had a chance to sit down and plunge into Stephen Chbosky's literary masterpiece. As she made her way over to one of the large mahogany desks and sat down, folding up her guide stick and placing it in her bag, she froze for a second and strained her ears, trying to determine whether anyone else was in the library with her. She couldn't hear anything apart from the sound of her own steady breathing, so she assumed she was alone. So safe to say she was more than a little surprised when she first heard a delicate cough, and then the loud slam of what she presumed was a book against a hard surface. She looked up from her book, eyebrows furrowed curiously as she tilted her head to the side, wondering if Emma had simply dropped a book on her way to her office at the back of the library. Her thoughts were soon interrupted by the tell-tale buzz of her phone vibrating. She pulled it out and flipped it open, knowing who it was before the caller even spoke.

"Hey Rachel. Okay, I'm on my way."

She stood up, extracting her guide stick from her bag, and then slipping on her sunglasses. She sighed softly, welcoming that feeling of comfort she always experience after donning her 'protecto-specs', as Rachel called them. They were like her own personal shields; they made her feel safe.

She was so focused on making sure she had everything, that she failed to remember Emma mentioning that the library was currently in the process of being renovated. This then resulted in her crashing into a book cart to her left, much to her humiliation. She stood stock-still as she listened to the emphatic clatter of books raining down, landing at her feet. She felt her face flush, as she cursed herself inwardly for not being more careful. She wondered where Emma had got to, and decided that the woman must have taken a trip down to the storage room, hence why she hadn't come running at the commotion Brittany had just caused.

The blonde sighed heavily, debating whether to shout for Emma or just sit back down and wait for the librarian to return. What she didn't expect was to hear a slightly timid female voice ask her if she was okay. She wasn't familiar with the voice, so immediately assumed that it belonged to one of the young staff members that worked part-time at the library. She began stammering nervously, apologising for making a mess. She was still adjusting to this new life without one of her key senses, and so sometimes she slipped up, constantly berating herself when she made a mistake. Needless to say, she was more than a little relieved when the stranger spoke in a voice that was a mixture of amused and comforting.

"I don't work here."

Brittany found herself smiling at the friendly tone of the woman's voice, and a small part of her wished she could see her face; she had a feeling that she was standing across from a very beautiful person. She then found herself babbling about how that was a good thing, and was almost relieved when the woman asked if she needed help.

Brittany answered with a shy "Yes please", slightly taken aback by the stranger's willingness to help - she was almost like her own knight in shining armour, swooping down in her time of need.

She heard the woman shuffling around by her feet, and took this to mean that she was picking up the fallen books. Her heart faltered for a second at the thought of this woman being so kind and helpful to a complete stranger like herself. She listened to her movements, and soon ascertained that the woman was standing in front of her once again. So, she did the first thing that sprung to mind, which in this case was to hold out her hand and introduce herself. She was pleased to hear a small giggle coming from the mystery woman, and then felt a tingle run up her arm as a hand grasped hers warmly.

"Nice to meet you, Brittany. I'm Santana."

She felt a spark of electricity run across her skin as their fingers lingered for a few seconds longer than necessary, before the intensity because almost unbearable, causing Brittany to pull her hand away gently.

She quickly shook herself out of her reverie, as thoughts of Rachel's phone call once again entered her mind. She mumbled something about her roommate waiting for her, and couldn't help the jolt of excitement that ran through her when she heard Santana's next words:

"Oh, okay. Well, um, see you around?"

She answered in the affirmative, before smiling tentatively one more time, then making her way towards the exit slowly. She called out a goodbye to Emma, who had returned to the front desk by now, then walked to the door and pushed it open slowly, savouring the refreshing breeze that caressed her face as she left the building. She found herself beaming happily, even as she was led over to the car and helped in by Rachel, the smile never left her face, much to the confusion of the small brunette, who kept glancing at her throughout the ride back to the bungalow that they shared.

* * *

**So, this idea came to mind yesterday while I was relaxing at home, and I immediately knew that this had to be my next multi-chaptered fic. What do you guys think of it so far? Do you like the idea/theme of it? Let me know! :)**

**Next update should be along soon, and until then, stay awesome everyone!**


	2. Chapter 2

"The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision." - Helen Keller.

* * *

Brittany's eyes fluttered open delicately as she was roused from her deep sleep. It still took her a while to adjust to waking up to complete darkness, and she grumbled unhappily to herself at being disturbed from her slumber as she sat up slowly and felt around for her cane. As she stood up and wandered towards her bedroom door, she soon discovered the cause of her awakening, hearing the sound of Rachel's booming voice echoing round their small bungalow. The brunette was practising her daily vocal exercises, and Brittany was learning that nothing and no one could stop her from doing them.

Every. Single. Day.

However, most of the time Brittany didn't mind being woken by Rachel's renditions of various Broadway classics; but today she was less than happy about having to get up before noon, due to the fact that she had trouble sleeping last night and didn't fall asleep for hours. The reason for her lack of sleep could be found in the form of a wonderful young woman who had practically stumbled into Brittany's life yesterday, or rather, Brittany had stumbled into hers.

The blonde smiled to herself as she thought of Santana, relishing the memory of the woman's voice, raspy and alluring, yet gentle and charming at the same time. She then caught a whiff of something frying, which pulled her out of her smitten reverie, and made her way towards the kitchen slowly, sniffing the air inquisitively. Her curiosity increased tenfold as she entered the small but lovely kitchen, her nose overwhelmed by an array of intoxicating aromas and flavours.

"Uh, Rach?" she called out, a mixture of intrigued and befuddled.

"Morning Britt!" came the cheerful reply.

"What, uh, what are you doing?" Brittany questioned, as the tantalising smell increased noticeably as she walked through the archway from the hallway to the kitchen.

"Just making some breakfast!" Rachel replied giddily.

Brittany could practically feel the intensity of the happiness she knew was radiating off Rachel, and quickly figured out a reason for her friend's impeccably chirpy attitude.

"So, I take it things went well with Puck last night?"

Rachel let out a shy giggle, and Brittany knew she had hit the nail on the head. Noah Puckerman was one of Brittany's few childhood friends that had stayed with her as she travelled into adulthood; they had met at school, and had bonded over a mutual love for women and music. Puck was always there for her when she needed him; whether she needed a ride, a shoulder to cry on, or someone to play boyfriend-girlfriend with to stop her being hit on by gross sweaty men in bars. Needless to say, she had taken it upon herself to introduce Puck and Rachel when she had met the brunette a few years ago, and the two had gotten along like a house on fire. However, they were unable to date or be anything more than friends at the time, as Puck was already in an established relationship. But, that had come to an end a few months ago, when Puck discovered that his girlfriend was seeing someone else behind his back. He had ended things swiftly, but didn't seem too devastated about the break up as it finally gave him that long-awaited chance to try things with Rachel. And Brittany had to admit, the two made a wonderful couple.

"Things went well, yes, I guess you could say that." Rachel giggled shyly.

"Aw Rach, I'm really happy things worked out with you two." Brittany smiled, beckoning Rachel over before pulling the smaller girl into an affectionate hug.

"Thanks Britt. And don't worry, I'm sure your princess will appear any day now."

"Well, I think I may have found her already." Brittany ducked her head bashfully, blushing the most endearing shade of pink, fiddling with her cane. Rachel recognised this behaviour immediately, and grabbed Brittany's shoulders, before interrogating the blonde.

"What?! Who?! Where?! When?! Tell me everything!"

"Okay, okay! Jeez Rach, no need for the third degree." Brittany chuckled amusedly. "So, her name's Santana. I met her in the library yesterday. I knocked over a book cart and she came rushing over to help, then we ended up talking a bit and it turns out... she's just lovely. Her voice is absolutely delicious, and she has the softest hands."

Rachel let out a little 'aww', before embracing Brittany warmly.

"When are you next going to see her?" Rachel pressed eagerly.

"Well, we didn't arrange a specific time, but she did say she'd see me soon." Brittany replied, her tone hopeful.

"Alright then." Rachel answered determinedly. "You know what this means then."

"What?" Brittany queried, eyebrows pulled together in confusion.

"It means we have to get you back to that library, stat!"

Brittany laughed at Rachel's over-the-top proclamation as she listened to the brunette return to continue her assault on various kitchen utensils and ingredients, until they both sat down to enjoy a delicious meal accompanied with lots of gossip and details from Rachel's date the night before.

* * *

Brittany decided to wait a few days before going back to the library. She didn't want to seem too eager, as she remembered Santana mentioning that she only visited the library once a week or so, and besides, she wanted to actually finish her book first.

But, seven days later and the day had finally arrived, and as Rachel drove her over to Lima's only library, Brittany felt her stomach tossing and coiling like a ship in the midst of a dire storm. Rachel sensed the blonde's growing nerves and slight apprehension, and took her hand gently, giving it a comforting squeeze. Brittany gave a small whimper in response, which Rachel thought was the most adorable thing ever.

"You'll be fine Britt. Trust me, any girl would be a fool to turn you down. A rotten fool, I tell you!" Rachel was shrieking in her best theatrical voice, as she knew it never failed to make Brittany laugh. As if on cue, the blonde let out a hearty chuckle, glad she had friend like Rachel who was willing to do so much just to make her happy.

They pulled up outside of the library a few minutes later. Rachel parked on the curb just beyond the entrance and leapt out of the car, jogging round to open Brittany's door and help the blonde up to the large wooden front doors.

"Madame." Rachel said in her most regal voice, as she pulled open the door with a flourish.

Brittany giggled, glad Rachel was making an effort to try and quell the rising nerves within her.

"Okay Britt, you okay to go on from here?"

The blonde nodded, albeit slightly hesitantly; this did not go unnoticed by Rachel.

"Britt, listen to me. It's all going to be fine."

Brittany's shoulders slumped slightly, and Rachel knew that something was playing on Brittany's mind.

"What's up?"

"Well, I was just thinking... what if she only came over to help me because I'm blind? What if she isn't actually interested in me at all and she was just taking pity on me?"

Rachel's eyebrows pulled together sympathetically, as she took Brittany's hand in hers and stroked it soothingly.

"Believe me Britt, from the sounds of things, she's definitely interested. I mean, she's coming back to the _library _to meet you again. Doesn't that tell you something?"

Brittany smiled ruefully, as Rachel gave her one last hug.

"Go get 'em." The brunette whispered in her ear, before she turned and left Brittany standing in the entrance.

The blonde quickly returned her finished book to Emma at the front desk, before sauntering over to the Braille section. She didn't have a specific book in mind, as her main focus of the day was talking to Santana. So she just selected something at random – which turned out to be The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time, a book she had actually read before and thoroughly enjoyed – and settled down on one of the squishy chairs that made up the circle around the small table in the middle of the room.

Her leg jiggled anxiously as she anticipated Santana's arrival.

Little did she know, the dark-haired woman was already there.

* * *

Santana had decided to get to the library earlier than usual this week, not wanting to miss her sort-of-but-not-really-arranged-rendezvous-with Brittany.

So, she had set her alarm, woken up drowsily at noon, somewhat begrudgingly dragged herself out of bed, brushed her teeth, and got dressed, pulling on her favourite pair of worn jeans along with her old college sweatshirt. She yanked her hair into a loose ponytail and quickly made herself a mug of tea along with a bowl of her favourite cereal, before pulling on her Converses and grabbing her car keys.

Santana then raced out to her car and drove to the library, parking in the car park which was never really full, luckily. She strolled up to the front desk, giving her borrowed book back to Emma with a sleepy smile, before walking over to sit at her usual table.

It wasn't long before Brittany came in, accompanied by a small brunette who Santana assumed was the roommate Brittany had mentioned. She saw that they were having some kind of intense discussion, and strained her ears, oddly curious to hear what was being said. She caught snippets of the conversation, and it didn't take her long to realise that they were talking about her.

"...isn't actually interested in me at all..."

"...coming back to the _library_..."

Santana smiled to herself, strangely flattered that she already seemed to be a hot conversation topic between the two girls.

She watched as the brunette left soon after, her eyes following Brittany as the blonde meandered over to the books for the visually impaired. She chuckled as she saw Brittany select a random book from the shelf without even acknowledging what it was, knowing that the blonde woman was just trying to keep herself occupied.

Santana then thought it was time to make her presence known, so she stood up slowly and walked over to Brittany.

Brittany felt a change in the air, as if there was someone standing near her, and stiffened, ears pricked alertly. She waited on tenterhooks, heart beating, not knowing what the hell was going on. Time seemed to stretch on for several more unbearably intense seconds, before warm air brushed across her ear as she heard someone speak almost in a whisper:

"Fancy meeting you here."

Brittany felt her skin prickle and grow hot as she recognised the unmistakable alluring tones of Santana's voice, and her heart sped up as Santana's hand momentarily trailed down her arm before lightly resting on the arm of the chair.

"Santana." Brittany breathed, more relieved than anything else.

"Hey." Santana giggled in response. "Did I scare you?"

"A little." Brittany admitted shyly.

"Sorry." Santana whispered, causing the hairs on Brittany's neck to stand on end.

The blonde felt the air shift once again as Santana took a seat next to her.

"So, Brittany..." Santana began, not really knowing how to strike up a conversation with a woman she had only met a week ago.

Luckily, Brittany was no stranger to awkward situations, as she found herself in them more often than she liked, so she had grown accustomed to stilted conversations and lengthy pauses. She found that people became uncomfortable around her, almost as though they couldn't connect with her because they couldn't look into her eyes; it seemed to unsettle them.

"I'd like to ask you something." She spoke determinedly, which startled Santana slightly, but ultimately the dark-haired woman was glad that Brittany had taken the reigns, and would happily answer a simple question.

"Go ahead." Santana replied softly.

"This may seem a bit strange, but..."

"Don't worry about it. Whatever it is, I'm sure I've heard weirder." Santana reassured her. "One time I was at a club with my friend Quinn, and this guy came over to me and actually asked me, straight out, if I would sleep with him. I went all Lima Heights on his sorry ass, I can tell you that..."

"Lima Heights?" Brittany questioned, trying to keep a straight face.

Santana went silent for a second, only just realising what she had said.

"Uh, yeah. It's uh, an expression I use. When I'm mad. To show that I, uh, you know, taught someone a lesson or whatever."

"That's adorable." Brittany blurted out before she could stop herself.

She froze, thinking she had scared Santana off, but was then comforted when she heard a shy giggle coming from the other woman.

"Anyway, you had a question for me?" Santana pressed, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Oh, right! Well, I was going to ask if you could, um, describe yourself for me? You know, so I can try to form a mental image of you in my head? I'd like to at least have an idea of what you look like..." Brittany tailed off, ducking her head coyly.

Santana had to stop herself from embracing Brittany right then and there, she was so damn cute. Instead, she settled on just gazing at the blonde for a few seconds, taking in her almost ethereal beauty; she took Santana's breath away.

"Okay, sure, I can do that, I think." Santana nodded, once she had composed herself.

Brittany beamed with joy, while Santana started devising a description of herself in her head.

"Alright, here goes. So I have black hair, it's pretty straight, and it comes down to just below my shoulders. Today I have it tied in a pony tail, but it's kinda scruffy, so yeah, we'll move on from that. Um, I have tan skin, kinda like the colour of caramel," – Brittany giggled at this one – "and I'm about five foot five. I have dark brown eyes, like Minstrels, and I'm kinda identified by my pouty lips; at least, that's what Quinn tells me. I'm pretty slim, and uh..." she trailed off awkwardly, and Brittany sensed that she had more to say.

"And?" she prompted.

"And... I had a boob job a couple of years ago, so my, uh, chest is pretty... enhanced."

Brittany chuckled at this, much to Santana's relief, before she spoke.

"From what I can see, you're pretty gorgeous." She said softly, as Santana's cheeks became tinted pink with embarrassment.

"Well, you're not too bad yourself." Santana replied timidly.

'_This is crazy!' _the Hispanic woman thought to herself. _'You've barely known this woman a week and you're already giving her compliments and acting like some smitten little schoolgirl with a crush!'_

But as much as Santana tried to ignore what was happening, she couldn't deny it; she was already falling for Brittany Pierce. And she was falling hard.

She cleared her throat, aware that a few minutes had now passed between them without any words being spoken.

"So-"

"I-"

They both went to speak at the same time, each giggling at their own faux pas.

"You go first." Brittany offered.

"Okay. Well, I was going to ask you a question this time round." Santana said, voice wavering slightly.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." Santana gulped audibly, her nerves apparent as she fiddled with the toggle of her sweatshirt. "I, uh, I was going to ask... I was going to see if you'd like to make these library visits like, a regular thing? Maybe once a week? I'd love to get to know you more, and it would be great to use this as a mutual meeting place, since we're both such regulars here anyway."

Brittany fell quiet for a few seconds, and Santana immediately started panicking.

'_Oh great, you've scared her off now! Well done Santana. Now you're never going to see her again and it's all your fault and-'_

"Okay."

Santana halted mid-thought, thinking she had just imagined Brittany speaking.

"...What?"

"I said okay." Brittany answered, smiling slightly at the befuddled tone in Santana's voice. "I mean, I come here pretty much every week anyway, so it would be... nice to see you again too."

Santana found herself grinning involuntarily, and saw that Brittany had a wide smile on her face too.

"That's, uh, that's great." Santana stammered, perplexed as to why she got so nervous and giddy around the blonde. She coughed awkwardly, and Brittany giggled at Santana's obvious shyness, which she though was super cute. "Anyway, I'd better go now. I've got some stuff to complete for work and the deadline is in two days, so I really can't leave it any longer."

Brittany raised her eyebrows, intrigued by Santana's words.

"What job do you do then?" she asked curiously.

Santana detected the interested tone of Brittany's voice, but decided to play aloof for a while.

She smirked mischievously, before leaning down to murmur in Brittany's ear:

"That's for me to know, and you to find out."

She then lifted Brittany's hand and grazed her lips briefly across the back of it, and then she was gone.

Brittany sat, unable to comprehend what had just happened. After she had gathered her jumbled thoughts, she couldn't stop herself from giggling gleefully and cradling the hand that Santana's lips had touched, replaying the feeling of that kiss over and over again.

As Brittany set about taking out her phone and dialling Rachel's number to tell her to pick her up once she got a chance, one thing became clear; the more time she spent with Santana, the more enamoured she was becoming with this amazing, funny, yet faceless woman.

Thanks to Santana, Brittany spent the rest of the day in a blissful daze, singing songs of love and friendship and happiness. Rachel was delighted to see Brittany in such a great mood, and joined in with her joyful singing once she had picked her up; the singing continued throughout the evening, from dinner time – when they performed their rendition of River Deep, Mountain High – to when Brittany got in the shower – when she imagined that the cascading water droplets were raining down upon her on a stage, as she belted out I Wanna Dance With Somebody, much to Rachel's amusement.

What with Rachel's successful date with Puck, and now Santana wanting to get to know Brittany more, it had been an eventful week for both girls. Both went to bed with big smiles on their faces, and even bigger hopes for the promising futures that lay ahead of them.

* * *

**Okay, so first thing's first – here is a MASSIVE thank you to everyone who has added me to their Author's list, and who have reviewed, favourited, and alerted this story so far. It means so much to me to know that someone had taken a moment just to press a button or type a few encouraging words, so thank you all so much. **

**Also, I want to hear more of you guys' opinions on the idea of the story! Do you like where it's going so far? Do you have any possible scenarios that you'd maybe like to happen? Let me know! I love hearing your theories on this stuff :D**

**That's about it for now, so I shall bid you all adieu. Next update should be along soon, and until then, stay awesome everyone! **


	3. Chapter 3

"If love is blind, then maybe a blind person that loves has a greater understanding of it." - Criss Jami.

* * *

Santana wrapped her coat firmly around her slim frame as she scuttled up the steps to the entrance of the Lima library. Autumn was approaching, and she could feel it in the sharp, crisp air that swirled around her and seeped mercilessly into her bones. She sighed in relief once she made it into the toasty-warm reception area of the library, smiling gratefully at Emma Pillsbury as a silent thank you for turning the heating system on. The momentary chill had distracted her from her thoughts from a few seconds ago, but now that her brain could function again now that she was in a warm environment, she resumed her panicked thinking from a few minutes earlier.

She was panicking because today was the day she had arranged to meet Brittany again. She was panicking because she thought she might have been too forward with the blonde. And she was panicking because she wasn't sure if Brittany would even turn up.

But then, she remembered the way the blonde had reacted when Santana spoke to her; the way she giggled shyly, her cheeks tinted pink; the way she so hesitantly asked Santana to illustrate herself so Brittany could see her in her own way; the way she seemed almost ecstatic that she had run into Santana again; and then she was no longer nervous, smiling to herself giddily, having an uncanny resemblance to a person who had just escaped from a mental ward.

She didn't bother picking up a book, instead making her way over to the small circle of chairs where Brittany normally sat. She perched on the edge of a cushy purple chair, leg jiggling in anticipation.

It wasn't long before Brittany walked in, saying a soft "Hello" to Emma, as she ambled over to her usual spot.

Santana watched Brittany's every motion, finding herself captivated by the smooth, agile way she managed to move herself even in her disadvantaged position. She was so entranced that she failed to notice Brittany drawing closer and closer to her with each step. So, it's safe to say that both girls were rather surprised when Brittany went to occupy her favourite seat – which so happened to be the purple one Santana was currently sitting on.

Santana let out a small squeak of shock, the feel of Brittany's thighs touching her own jolting her out of her daze, while simultaneously sending a sharp electric buzz through her body, which was highly unexpected and caused her breath to momentarily hitch in her throat.

Brittany, meanwhile, was attempting to recover from the startling event that had just occurred, and was holding her stick out in front of her warily; in an action that Santana presumed was supposed to be intimidating to whomever she had accidentally sat on.

The raven-haired girl thought this was absolutely adorable, and try as she might, couldn't hold in the giggles she was trying so hard to suppress. Brittany's eyebrows knotted together in confusion fleetingly, until a few seconds later when she recognised the soft laughter coming from the phantom seat stealer.

"Santana?" she mused, as she too began giggling at the ridiculousness of it all.

"Hey Britt- Uh, Brittany." Santana corrected.

'_What are you doing?!' _she scolded herself internally. _'Already calling her 'Britt' like you've known her a lifetime or something. Stop or you're going to freak her out!'_

Brittany was standing patiently, listening to the soft sound of the autumn air whistling around the building, as she wondered what Santana was doing.

Santana then realised that she hadn't spoken for a minute or so, and recognized that situations like this were difficult for Brittany because she didn't have the ability to look at other people during an interaction, so when people didn't speak, Brittany didn't know whether to simply stay quiet too or if they were expecting her to strike up a conversation.

Santana's heart sank slightly; as she felt pity for Brittany and the state she had been reduced to.

"Anyway," Santana began, watching Brittany as she noticed the blonde breathe a barely noticeable sigh of relief at the sound of Santana continuing the conversation, "I'm sorry about, uh, being under you."

She grinned when Brittany chuckled, enjoying the deep, throaty sound of the blonde's laugh.

"And I'm sorry for plonking myself on you." Brittany giggled back.

Santana had to stop herself from blurting out that maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing.

Brittany then took a seat next to Santana; she could feel Santana's arm just a hair's length away from hers, and to say she was enjoying the close proximity in which they were sitting would be an understatement. Being so close to Santana also alerted Brittany to a certain aspect that she hadn't noticed before; Santana had the most intoxicating smell. Brittany wasn't quite sure how to describe it, but it was a mixture of scents and flavours, all blending to create something deliciously enthralling. Amongst the aromas, she could definitely pick out caramel infused with coffee, and so took that to mean that Santana was a morning coffee drinker. She also detected a whiff of a delightful fruity fragrance, which she discovered, after a small quick sniff, most likely belonged to Santana's perfume.

Her keen sense of smell, or 'bloodhound ability', as Rachel called it, had developed soon after she had lost her sight, a trait that was common among people who were visually impaired. She was now able to pick up on smells that most people wouldn't even notice, and the same went for the sounds she heard.

However, her hearing had apparently become flawed in that moment due to her fascination with the way Santana smelled, as she had been talking to Brittany for the past two minutes now and the blonde hadn't heard a word of it. She quickly focused in on the conversation, turning her head to face in the direction that Santana's voice was coming from.

"…and it's been fascinating so far, I mean, the protagonist is incredible, so inspiring and wonderful, and the narration is amazing. Although it is unbelievably sad, it's had me in tears for hours already."

Brittany took this to mean that Santana was telling her about the latest book she was immersing herself in, but couldn't for her life of her recall what book Santana was talking about.

"Uh, what book are we talking about again?" she asked apologetically.

"The Lovely Bones." Santana answered with a smile.

Brittany felt guilty for not listening, and was worried that Santana thought she wasn't interested in what she was saying, so decided to explain her condition a bit more to the wonderful woman she had somehow befriended over the last few weeks.

"Sorry. I just have trouble hearing people sometimes. It's harder to focus on what someone is saying when you can't see them; it becomes a lot easier to accidentally lose yourself in a daydream or a stray thought, then all of sudden you've missed a question or an entire conversation and then they don't bother trying to speak to you anymore."

Santana detected a twinge of sadness in Brittany's voice, realising that this had probably happened to Brittany numerous times in the past. She felt her heart spasm sympathetically, and reached across slowly to place her hand on top of Brittany's as a way of comfort. The blonde flinched, not expecting the sudden contact, but quickly relaxed, enjoying the sensation of Santana's soft skin on hers.

"It's okay-"

"No, I want to explain. I don't want anyone thinking I'm not interested in them or what they've got to say, especially not you."

Brittany froze as she realised how that could be taken to mean something else, but Santana merely gripped her hand tighter, rubbing circles over Brittany's knuckle with her thumb. The blonde took that as encouragement to continue, so took a deep breath and continued speaking softly.

"My accident only happened a few months ago. Since then, my life has had to change drastically. I can't go out with my friends – although most of them lost contact with me afterwards anyway, Rachel and Puck were the only two who really stuck around."

Santana felt herself bristle slightly at the mention of 'Puck', who she could tell was close with Brittany by the way the blonde smiled a little when she said his name. She changed the subject, wanting to get away from the topic of this guy who she was somehow jealous of.

"So, uh, what happened? I mean, with the accident? If you don't mind me asking." She amended quickly.

Brittany loved how Santana was always so careful not to upset her or say anything offensive, a trait which most of the population of Lima apparently seemed to be lacking.

"You can ask, it's okay." She reassured Santana with a small smile. "Well, it happened about four months ago, in April. I was playing with my little sister, Jennifer, in front of my parent's house. They live in this little cul-de-sac, so cars are meant to drive really slowly around there so no one gets hurt or anything. Anyway, Jennifer and I were playing football, when this car suddenly came speeding round the corner. It was heading right for us, and the driver didn't show any sign of stopping. So, I pushed Jen onto the grass by the road, out of the way, but I couldn't get away fast enough. Luckily my collision with the car wasn't too bad, I got away with a few scrapes and bruises, but as I got knocked down, I hit my head on a rock…"

As Brittany continued with her story, images of the day of the accident began flooding her mind…

* * *

_Brittany laughed at the top of her lungs as she watched Jennifer run freely around their parent's front yard. She loved seeing her shy younger sister just let loose like this, her long blonde hair flowing out behind her as she ran with wild abandon, dressed in her favourite denim cut-off shorts and blue flannel shirt, accompanied by her favourite pair of worn Vans. Her eyes followed the younger Pierce as she spotted something across the road; it was a tattered old football, discarded in a bush amongst bags of rubbish and bits of newspaper and debris._

"_Britt, look!" she yelled excitedly. "I found a soccer ball!"_

_She cheered loudly in delight, before running over and yanking the ball free from its prison of thorns and branches. _

"_Let's play! Me against you!"_

"_You're on Jen!" Brittany called, chortling as she watched her sister begin a series of enthusiastic star jumps and lunges._

"_What on earth are you doing, little duck?" Brittany called, her expression a mixture of amusement and bewilderment._

"_Warmin' up! C'mon Britt, you gotta do it too!" came the reply._

_Brittany chuckled but obeyed, doing a few star jumps then lunging in an over exaggerated fashion, much to Jennifer's amusement. _

"_Okay, I think we've warmed up enough now Jen!" Brittany laughed, eyes twinkling playfully._

"_Alright! Here's what we're gonna do. You're gonna be in goal, so you stand there, by the curb. I'm going to be the kicker," – Brittany didn't have the heart to correct her sister's terminology by telling her that the word was 'striker' – "So I'll be kicking the ball into the goal. 'Kay?"_

"_You got it captain!" hollered Brittany, standing to attention and saluting stiffly, eliciting the cutest of giggles from her adorable little sister. _

"_Okay, let's go!"_

_They played contentedly for about ten minutes or so, until Brittany was distracted by the sound of squealing tyres in the distance._

"_Briiiiiiiiiitt!" Jennifer whined, when Brittany stopped playing to pay closer attention to the sound._

"_Shh." She whispered, causing Jennifer to obediently fall silent._

_Brittany slowly began walking into the road, glancing up towards the main street as she moved. It was then that she saw the car speeding erratically towards them, or rather, towards Jennifer._

"_JEN!" Brittany screamed. "Run! Move out of the way! NOW!"_

_But Jennifer was paralysed, frozen with fear as the car sped uncontrollably towards her. Brittany took one swift glance at the front seat, and saw the driver, an unkempt male with a beer bottle in one hand. She then started running towards her sister, not stopping to think about anything else; all she cared about was getting her sister to safety before this guy did some serious damage._

_Brittany reached Jennifer within a matter of seconds, grabbing her and pushing her backwards. The little girl landed on the grass further behind her, relatively okay apart from a few bruises. But Brittany didn't manage to get completely out of the driver's way, and as the car swerved to face the other way, the back end caught Brittany's hip and thrust her backwards violently. She was thrown back and felt her head connect with something hard with an almighty thwack, before her mind was submersed into complete darkness until she could no longer hear Jennifer's sobs and cries for help…_

* * *

"According to the doctors, the impact caused my brain to swell and press down on my optic nerve, which is what caused me to lose my sight. My doctor said my vision could eventually return to me at some point, but they have no idea when this could happen."

"So… you have no idea if you'll ever be able to see again?" Santana breathed, her voice heavy with sympathy for Brittany.

The blonde simply shook her head, grasping onto the soothing comfort that she could feel from the way Santana's hand gently squeezed hers once again.

They sat in silence for a while, just appreciating the calming presence of one another.

Brittany then decided it was time to move onto a happier topic, and so began questioning Santana on the book she was talking about earlier. They dove into a passionate conversation, alternating between raging at an upsetting scene and laughing at a peculiar word choices on the author's behalf. This continued for a good few hours, until it was time for both girls to go their separate ways and head home.

Brittany suggested that they meet again, and Santana readily agreed, already looking forward to the next time she got to see the dazzling blonde.

* * *

No matter how hard she tried, Santana just couldn't calm the jittering nerves that had been relentlessly attacking her stomach since she woke up this morning. She had tried everything; yoga, reading a book, listening to music; even watching Grease couldn't quell the growing anxiety thriving within her – although she did have the fleeting thought that she would make an excellent Rizzo.

She was on edge because a while ago, when she had first met Brittany, she had made a pact Quinn and Kurt that if Brittany and herself met up more than seven times – which they had – and if they had an amazing time – which also happened – then she had to ask Brittany out on a date.

The reason for her friends making this agreement was because Santana had only had one serious relationship before, and that had ended abruptly just over a year ago. Santana had understandably been heartbroken about the ordeal, and went through a phase of locking herself away for days on end, refusing to see anyone. After a little while, Quinn had managed to cajole Santana into leaving the confines of her apartment with promises of pancakes and waffles at their favourite breakfast place. The Hispanic woman then became a little less distraught over the whole situation after spending some much-needed time with her friends, but still found herself unable to even think about getting into another relationship.

Until Brittany had come along.

So, Quinn and Kurt had pestered Santana into agreeing to ask Brittany out until she agreed, because they knew that Santana would never forgive herself if she let Brittany float out of her reach.

And now, the day of reckoning had arrived, and Santana felt like she was going to empty the contents of her stomach out into the toilet any minute now. She was so tense; she resorted to calling Quinn and Kurt over to keep her occupied.

They arrived a few minutes later, their shared apartment only a few blocks away from Santana's; they all lived in the slightly more urban part of Lima, occupied by high-rise apartments, chains of department stores, and a small outlet complete with a food court and cinema. They had all gone to school over at William McKinley High School, which was situated slightly out in the suburbs, about an hour's drive away from Santana's current residence. She had met Quinn on her first day of high school, the two immediately bonding over their dislike of others and their competitive drive. Kurt had joined their little clique about a year in, when they witnessed him being picked on by a few older students and put a stop to it, using their sharp tongues and 'inner rage', or what Santana liked to call 'Snix juice'.

Her train of thought was interrupted by a loud rapping on the door, and she automatically rolled her eyes, wondering why Quinn insisted on knocking like she was some form of royalty. But, she couldn't deny that she was happy to see them, pulling first Quinn and then Kurt into a firm hug.

"Hey honey!" Kurt exclaimed, panting from the walk up the several flights of stairs. "Someone really needs to fix that elevator!" he gasped, holding his side melodramatically, causing Santana to giggle.

"There's that beautiful smile I wanted to see!" Kurt beamed. "Anyway," he squealed, grinning as he presented her with a beautiful bouquet of flowers. "These are from Blaine and I, to wish you good luck on your big day!"

"Kurt, I'm just asking her out. It's not like this is my first day of kindergarten or something." Santana muttered, but she smiled gratefully as she took the flowers to the kitchen to place them in a vase.

"So, you nervous?" Quinn called, and Santana could hear the amused note in her voice.

"Shut it Fabray." She mumbled, turning a bright shade of red.

This didn't go unnoticed by the sharp eye of the observant blonde woman.

"Oh my god, I don't believe it. Santana Lopez, blushing? I thought I'd never see the day!" she chortled, and was soon joined by Kurt snickering playfully.

The stylish young man then waltzed over to Santana, who had returned to the hallway after taking care of the flowers.

"Aww, I think it's cute that you're all worked up! She must really mean something to you, huh?"

Santana nodded, averting her eyes and scuffing the carpet. Quinn smiled ruefully, before linking her arm through Santana's as a form of apology.

"Sorry San. You know I was only teasing."

Santana turned and met Quinn's gaze, smiling back tentatively.

"I know Q. I'm just really worried about what she's going to say. What if she says no? What if she only likes me as a friend? Oh god, what if she's not even gay?!"

"Santana, trust me, from what you've told me, there's no way this girl is straight." Kurt reasoned.

"And I'm sure she likes you as more than a friend, I mean, who could resist that charming smile of yours?" Quinn teased.

She froze seconds later, realising the implications of her comment, while Kurt shifted uncomfortably where he was standing in the corner.

"Oh San… I'm sorry, I completely forgot-"

"It's fine."

"You sure?" Quinn said softly, eyes clouded with guilt.

"Yeah. I guess it just upsets me that she'll never really be able to see me. But whatever. Not your problem."

Kurt cleared his throat delicately, and motioned with his head for Quinn to step out of the room for a second. The blonde quickly complied, knowing Kurt had a certain way with Santana that no one else seemed to have.

"Santana?" he spoke softly.

The dark-skinned girl glanced up, her tear-filled eyes meeting Kurt's piercing blue eyes.

"I'm going to ask you something, and I want you to answer me honestly. Okay?"

Santana nodded slowly.

"Are you freaking out because you think Brittany's never going to really have feelings for you because she can't see you?"

Santana took a breath, and then suddenly broke down, shoulders heaving.

"K-Kurt, I don't know, I mean, I've only k-known her for a few months," she hiccupped, "B-but I feel so close to her already, and I… I'm scared. I'm scared that I'm f-falling too fast, and that maybe she d-doesn't feel the same way..."

Kurt grimaced in sympathy, placing his arm securely around Santana's trembling shoulders.

"Now honey, you know that's not true. From what you've said, Brittany seems like a great girl. And I'm sure she's not one to let something as superficial as looks get in the way of her feelings for someone."

Santana sniffled quietly as her sobs began to subside, knowing Kurt was right.

"You okay now?" he asked softly.

She nodded, turning to face him.

"Thank you Kurt." She said gratefully, as he embraced her warmly.

"You're welcome San. And you know, I'm always here for you. And so is Quinn, in her own snarky way."

"I heard that!" Quinn drawled from the kitchen.

"Get in here Quinny boo!" Kurt tittered, grinning as he saw Santana break into a smile.

"There's that smile we all know and love." Quinn said, as she walked through the archway connecting the kitchen to the hallway. "Now, let's keep it there, okay?" she whispered, as she hugged Santana briefly, before pulling away slowly.

"So, can we go now, or what?" she smirked, inciting giggles from Santana and Kurt.

"Yes, we can go." Santana smiled.

"Yay!" Kurt gushed, clapping his hands together enthusiastically. "Come on then, hurry! Shoo!"

He ushered the girls out at an impressive speed, Quinn getting into the back of Kurt's Hummer while Santana called shotgun.

"I think we need some tunes for this ride, dontcha think girls?" he hollered.

Quinn replied with a loud "Woo!", while Santana just giggled and shook her head. Her friends were insane, but she wouldn't want it any other way.

Kurt then put on their mix tape of favourite songs, and they sped off, singing heartily, Santana's heart racing at the thought of what lay ahead.

* * *

They pulled up outside of the library about fifteen minutes later, breathless and flushed from their spontaneous sing-a-long in the car.

Quinn had been pumping Santana up for the past five minutes, like a boxer and their trainer before a big match.

"Alright, so who are you?"

"Santana Lopez!"

"I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

"SANTANA LOPEZ!"

"Better! And what are you going to do today?"

"Ask Brittany to go on a date with me!"

"And what's she going to say?"

"Yes!"

"Sorry, what was that?!"

"SHE'S GOING TO SAY YES!"

Quinn turned to Kurt with a satisfied smirk on her face, before muttering ominously:

"She's ready."

He rolled his eyes, always amused by Quinn and her crazy antics.

"Okay San, here goes. Good luck!" he called, as she took a deep breath and opened the door, stepping out onto the sidewalk, her legs quivering like jelly.

"Alright, well, I'll see you guys later I guess." She said quietly, feeling her nerves stir once again.

"You're gonna do great babe!" Kurt called, as he pulled away from the curb and began driving away.

"Text me and let me know how it goes!" yelled Quinn, her head sticking out of the back window comically.

Santana chuckled at that, then turned and walked briskly up the stairs before she could change her mind.

* * *

Brittany was waiting patiently for Santana, expecting her arrival any minute. Over the course of the last few weeks, they had set up a rough routine for when to meet, so they had a time and a place – three o'clock, in the circle of chairs where Brittany had first sat, and where they had had that rather embarrassing but hilarious encounter which resulted in Brittany practically plonking herself in Santana's lap. She smiled to herself as she recalled that memory, remembering the zap that had coursed through her veins at the fleeting feeling of Santana's hands resting on her hips as she had gently pushed Brittany so she was standing up.

She heard the soft click of boots upon the linoleum floor, and recognised that as the sound of Santana's boots.

"Hey you." She breathed, as she stood up and smiled.

"You're getting good at this." Santana replied wryly, before placing her hands on Brittany's shoulders then pulling her in for a brief but warm hug. This was a system they had worked out; Brittany couldn't see actions like outstretched arms or open hands, so if Santana touched her shoulders, it meant she wanted a hug. It was a sweet but simple gesture that Brittany had grown to crave over the past few weeks, and as both girls felt the way their bodies moulded almost perfectly together, Santana realised that she too had developed almost a pathological need for these brief moments of physical intimacy with Brittany.

They parted seconds later, somewhat unwillingly, and Brittany heard Santana chuckle softly.

"What's so funny?" she enquired curiously.

"Nothing, it's just… your hair is a little… dramatic today." She giggled, as she fully took in Brittany's hair style, which seemed to be an infusion of a messy bun with a few small plaits framing the blonde's face.

"Urgh, Rachel told me she'd make me look good!" Brittany groaned, flopping back into her seat and huffing loudly, trying to disentangle the plaits in her frustrated state.

"It's not that bad." Santana reasoned. "It's just very… child-like. You look adorable though."

Brittany smiled coyly at the compliment, blushing that wonderful shade of pink that Santana just loved.

"Anyway," Santana continued, "We're not going to have our usual book discussion today."

"We're not?" Brittany sat up, fearing she had done something wrong.

"No. Because, I, uh," Santana imagined the voices of Kurt and Quinn in her head, encouraging her to be brave and just ask, "I wanted to ask you something."

"Oh?" Brittany said, not knowing what to expect.

"I, uh, I was wondering if you'd, well, um…"

'_Stop stuttering!'_ she chastised herself internally. _'You sound like a little girl giving a presentation to her class!'_

"Basically, I was wondering if you'd like to go on a date with me."

The room fell silent; you could hear the wind whistling softly through the bookshelves, rustling pages gently.

Brittany sat stock-still, unable to believe what she was hearing. Never in a million years did she think anyone would want her after the accident, yet here she was, being asked out by one of the most caring, funny, sweet and internally beautiful women she had ever met.

Santana, however, misunderstood Brittany's silence, and immediately took it as a negative response.

"Oh my god, I'm so stupid! You're with Puck, aren't you? Oh wow, I'm such an idiot, I can't believe I even tried this, I mean, you mention him all the time, and anyway, why would someone so amazing even want to go on a date with me-"

"Santana!" Brittany interrupted. "Instead of just presuming that you know what's going on in my head and barrelling ahead, how about you actually let me answer the question?"

She grinned at Santana, and her heart skipped a beat when she felt Santana's hand slide into hers - this was another private Brittany-Santana thing they had invented; if either of them wanted to share something important or simply offer comfort, they would take the other's hand, and the message was understood. Santana was often the instigator of their physical contact, but this wasn't because Brittany was uncomfortable with it or anything; it was just harder for her because she was unable to actually see Santana's hands, so they found it was easier for Santana to act for both of them, placing her hand in Brittany's if she ever sensed that the blonde was becoming troubled or upset, or taking Brittany's hand if she herself needed consoling. This mainly occurred when they discussed Brittany's accident and how it had affected her, although Santana wanted to know more about Brittany, and she had a feeling that Brittany wanted to know more about her too; this is why she had agreed with Quinn and Kurt about the date being a good idea – although she would never tell them that – because she knew it would be a good opportunity to get to know each other in more depth, and to hopefully develop into something more than just friends who met at the library for discussions about post-Apocalyptic realms and coming-of-age stories about teenagers.

"Okay, so what's your answer?" Santana asked wryly, although her heart was pounding in her chest as she anticipated Brittany's reply.

"My answer is yes, of course."

* * *

**SHE ASKED HER OUT. Yay! I hope this has satisfied all of you lovely reviewers who requested a date! :D And don't worry about waiting much longer, for the date is going to happen in the next chapter!**

**One thing I must do is, once again, thank EVERYONE who has reviewed. An especially big thank you to all those anonymous reviewers, because unfortunately I can't PM you to thank you. But yes, I have been simply overwhelmed by the amount of support you guys are already showing for this story, and it would be so lovely if you all stuck around until the end! **

**Anyway, I really hope you all liked this chapter, and, as you know, I love getting feedback, so drop a review if you're feeling generous! The next chapter should be along soon, so until then, stay awesome everyone!**


	4. Chapter 4

"To be blind is bad, but worse is to have eyes and not see." – Annonymous

* * *

"Do I really look okay?"

"For the fourth time, Brittany, you look fine!" Rachel sighed exasperatedly.

She had spent the past two hours helping Brittany get ready for her date with Santana, but ever since the unfortunate hair incident a few weeks ago, Brittany wasn't as willing to take Rachel's opinion seriously anymore.

"But are you sure? It's not too casual, is it? And are you sure I shouldn't wear my sunglasses? I mean, I know this is a house date, but still-"

"From where I'm standing, you look smokin' hot." Interrupted a deep male voice from behind Brittany.

She smiled, recognising the voice immediately.

"Puck! I didn't know you were going to drop by!"

"Well, I had to make sure my favourite senorita was all ready for her date." He grinned. "Well, second favourite." He amended, as he strolled over to Rachel and planted a soft kiss on her lips.

Brittany heard the shuffle of Puck's footsteps and the unmistakable sound of smacking lips, and rolled her eyes playfully.

"Honestly guys. You could at least wait until I've left. My ears still work perfectly fine y'know!"

"Alright, we'll save all of the lovey-dovey stuff for later." Rachel giggled, while Puck chortled and wrapped his arm around Rachel lovingly. "Anyway, we'd better get going, Santana will be here soon." Rachel said with a smirk.

Brittany exhaled slowly, and Rachel could tell she was anxious, but before the brunette could speak and try to calm Brittany's growing nerves, Puck interjected with some words of wisdom of his own.

"Brittany, listen to the Puckerman. If you ever start getting scared or worried or whatever, just remember – SHE asked YOU out. So that means she must at least like you a little bit, right?"

Brittany laughed at Puck's misguided yet sweet advice, before Rachel again reminded them of Santana's approaching arrival.

"Okay Britt, I guess we'll see you later. So the meal I helped you make is all ready on the table, so all you have to do is prepare your taste buds for paradise and you're good to go!"

"Thanks Rach." Brittany smiled gratefully, before extending her arms for a goodbye cuddle.

After hugging first Rachel and then Puck, Brittany shouted one last goodbye before she heard the resounding slam of the front door. Silence echoed through the house; it was so quiet, she could hear the unsteady thump of her heart, which felt as though it was going to burst out of her chest any minute.

She pressed the button on her watch that spoke the time for what felt like the millionth time that day, registering that Santana was supposed to be there in five minutes. She made her way into the living room, and had just sat down when the clear sound of the doorbell resonated through the house.

'_She's early!'_ she thought to herself, panicking as she swiftly stood up and walked slowly towards the door with the aid of her guide stick.

She was in such a hurry that she failed to pay attention to any potential tripping hazards like she normally would, so almost fell flat on her face when her cat, a portly tabby that went by the name Lord Tubbington, whizzed past her feet and caused her to stumble forward. She managed to catch herself using her cane, and quickly completed the short walk to the front door of the bungalow. She opened the door, and couldn't suppress her smile when she heard Santana whisper "Wow"...

* * *

Santana was absolutely captivated by Brittany. She found herself rendered speechless as she simply stared at the blonde, taken aback by her sheer and utter beauty. Brittany was wearing a taut vest top that fit her perfectly and generously showed off her ample cleavage, and she completed the outfit with a pair of tight-fitting denim jeans, and a pair of sparkling black-and-white Converses. Her soft blonde hair was straight and hung beautifully, framing her gorgeous, ocean-blue eyes perfectly.

After a few seconds of fixated ogling, Santana found she was able to say one word: "Wow."

She heard Brittany giggle at this, then the blonde spoke softly.

"Hey."

"Hi." Santana replied shyly.

"Would you like to come in?"

"I'd love to." Santana answered. "You look stunning by the way." She said earnestly as she walked behind Brittany into the hallway, the intoxicating smell of something divine overriding her senses momentarily. "Wait, don't tell me you made a whole meal just for our date?"

"Yep." Brittany giggled from in front of her, before the blonde turned and stopped Santana in her tracks.

"Okay, so before we go any further, uh, into the house, I mean-" – Santana chuckled at Brittany's adorable nervous stutter – "I have something to ask you. It's kind of like what I asked you to do in the library a few months ago when we first met, but a bit more… intense."

Brittany nibbled her lip anxiously; worried that Santana would be unsettled by her request or maybe even leave due to what she was going to ask.

"Just tell me what you need." Santana replied gently, her smile evident in her voice.

"Okay, well, uh, as you know, I have to use my other senses to picture what's around me and in my environment to create mental images, since I can't see things with my eyes. But seeing as I can't hear or smell, uh, what you're wearing, I was wondering if I could, um, y'know, just to get an idea of how beautiful you look, maybe, uh…"

Santana could see the inner turmoil Brittany was experiencing trying to explain herself, so she decided to help the blonde out and just come out with it.

"Brittany, do you, uh, want to feel my dress, so you can picture what it looks like on me?"

The blonde nodded shyly, hoping her request didn't sound like she was just desperate to touch Santana. Because she wasn't. Well, not saying that she wouldn't like to touch her 'like that' at some point in the future, but for now, she just knew that she was developing really strong feelings for Santana, and so genuinely wanted an idea of what she looked like.

"Let's do this." Santana giggled while removing her coat and hanging it on the lean brown coat rack to her right, as Brittany stepped forward and reached out, until her hands came into contact with Santana's bare shoulders.

"Oh, by the way, I'm wearing a strapless dress." Santana said. "With a leopard print design on it."

Brittany chuckled at this, as her hands slowly started moving, feeling the contours and curves beneath her hands.

Santana felt her breath hitch as Brittany's hands gently skimmed over her arms, lightly traveling down until they reached her hip bones. She felt the soft fabric stretched around Santana's waist, and pressed her thumbs down for a split second, eliciting a sharp intake of breath from Santana. Brittany then moved her hands up Santana's waist, feeling the way her dress pulled tight over a toned stomach. The tension between them was palpable as Brittany's hands moved up to almost graze the bottom of Santana's chest. She then cleared her throat, dropping her hands and fidgeting awkwardly.

"So, uh, do you, like, work out?" Brittany mumbled, her hands tingling from having Santana's body beneath them mere seconds ago.

"Yeah, I do yoga every week." Santana replied, flushed from the memory of Brittany's hands roaming tantalisingly over her body.

"You've, uh, got some good abs."

"Thanks."

The tension was then suddenly broken as both girls erupted into a fit of giggles, Santana snorting and sending Brittany into a further state of hysteria.

"Okay, okay!" Brittany gasped a minute or so later, holding onto her aching sides. "Why don't I give you a little tour?"

"Sure thing Britt." Santana answered casually.

Brittany couldn't suppress her smile at the sound of Santana calling her 'Britt'; she liked how the nickname rolled off Santana's tongue, like she'd been saying it for years and it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Okay, well, this here's the kitchen," she gestured, as she stood in the archway that connected the kitchen to the hallway where Santana was stood. She then moved in a circle, pointing to the living room, the bathroom, Rachel's room, and finally…

"And that's my room."

She heard Santana let out a little puff of air, and grinned to herself, sensing the undertones of sexual tension that now lurked between them due to the introduction of that particular room.

Brittany then heard the tell-tale sound of her stomach rumbling, and reached out for Santana's hand before saying, "Alright, now that that's done, you ready to eat?"

* * *

Santana stood still for a moment, unable to believe her eyes. Brittany had refused to show her the dining room during their little tour until now; and she could see why.

In the centre of the room stood a long oak table, adorned with a deep red cloth swooping down the middle, flanked by a cushioned mahogany chair at each end. Candles were lit at each end, their stems standing tall, long and proud, as the orange flames flickered warmly, giving the room an ethereal glow. Delicate purple and orange patterns were woven intricately into the tablecloth, the contrast with the scarlet background making the designs simply breathtaking. Detailed paintings hung on the walls, depicting stories from times gone by; from treacherous battles between two kingdoms, to knights in shining armour rescuing a damsel in distress from a ruthless dragon.

"Oh my god." Santana breathed, awestruck.

"You like it?" Brittany ventured shyly.

"It's beautiful." Santana smiled. "Who did all of these amazing paintings?"

"I did. Rachel likes to hang them in here; she says they make her feel happy."

Santana spun on her heel, staring at Brittany in astonishment.

"You did these?"

Brittany replied with a shy nod.

"Brittany... these are incredible! How... I mean... why hasn't your talent been discovered yet?"

The blonde ducked her head, and Santana gathered that she may have encountered questions such as this a lot over the past few months.

"Oh. The accident."

Brittany nodded sadly, her face adopting a hopeless expression that simply broke Santana's heart.

"After I lost my vision, I couldn't paint anymore. And it killed me to think that I would have to give up my one true passion, but I had to face reality and accept that I couldn't do the things that I used to do."

Santana couldn't stand seeing that dejected look on Brittany's face any longer, so she crossed the room in a few purposeful strides and embraced her. The blonde froze momentarily, not expecting the sudden contact, but quickly melted into Santana's hold, loving the way her body felt against her own. No sound could be heard aside from their breathing, Santana cradling Brittany's head against her cheek, the blonde's nose buried in the crook of her neck.

Brittany pulled back a few seconds later, smiling at Santana. She reached up slowly with one hand, until her fingers were resting on Santana's cheek.

"Such soft skin..." she whispered, marvelling at the sensation against her fingertips.

Santana leaned into Brittany's touch, closing her eyes and trying to image, just for a second, what it was like to be in Brittany's position. The sheer thought of it terrified her.

Santana then reached up herself and pulled Brittany's hand down, lacing their fingers together.

"How about we get started on that delicious meal?" she asked softly.

"Okay."

Santana led Brittany over to the majestic table, pulling out her chair for her with a shy giggle.

"Why, thank you Madame." Brittany said lowly, as she slid into the seat with a chuckle.

Santana then took her seat across from the blonde, her eyes travelling hungrily over the various assortments of dishes that lay upon the grand table.

"So, what's for dinner, Miss Pierce?" Santana enquired, one eyebrow quirked as she listened intently.

"Well, Rachel and I devised a rather delicious meal for you today." Brittany giggled, adopting a faux posh voice, much to Santana's delight. "For our starter, we have shrimp cocktail, covered in a lovely sauce and garnished with fresh lettuce. For our main course, we'll be enjoying lamb stew, accompanied by roast potatoes and honey-glazed carrots. And for dessert, we have a treat of chocolate gateau along with fresh cream and succulent strawberries."

Santana simply gazed at Brittany for a moment, unable to believe that this extraordinary woman had gone to all this trouble just for her.

"Brittany, I... this is extraordinary. Thank you."

"The pleasure is all mine." Brittany answered sincerely. "Now, I think it's about time we got our shrimp on, don't you?"

* * *

The evening took off from there as they dove into their meal, an air of familiarity now surrounding the girls. They had gotten to know each other pretty well over the past few months, but there were still aspects of their lives that they had yet to discuss with one another.

"So, Britt," Santana began, "Tell me about your family."

Brittany smiled, flattered that Santana was so interested the intimate details of her life.

"Well, my parents live here in Lima too, but that only happened recently. They moved here after the accident, but before that, they lived in a small suburb of Connecticut. My little sister, Jennifer, she's twelve, so she still lives with them. Oh, and we had Lord Tubbington, our family cat, but my parents let him come live with me when I first moved here, to keep me company until I found a roommate for the bungalow, and he ended up living here ever since."

"Oh, that's what that was? I thought you had some kind of giant raccoon sleeping on your front porch." Santana chuckled.

"Nope, that was Tubs." Brittany giggled in response. "Anyway, what about you and your family?"

"Well, I'm an only child, from a Hispanic background. My parents divorced when I was young, then my dad left so I didn't really know him. But my mum was enough; she's always supported me through everything. She lives in New York now, she's a fashion designer for a large corporate company, so I don't see her very often, but when I do, it's always great."

Brittany could hear the smile in Santana's voice, and found herself smiling back at the woman opposite her, loving hearing details about her life.

"So, Santana, tell me more. What line of work are you involved with?" Brittany asked, after a delectable mouthful of tender lamb.

"I'm a journalist for Rolling Stone."

"The pop-culture music magazine?" Brittany gasped. "Oh my god!"

"Yeah, I write the section introducing exciting new bands and artists." Santana grinned, thrilled to see Brittany so enthusiastic about something she was involved with.

"That's so awesome!" the blonde exclaimed delightedly.

"I also write occasional articles for Curve-"

"The lesbian magazine?!"

"Wow, you really know your stuff about magazines, huh?" Santana chortled.

"Yeah, well, I had to do something while I was in hospital recovering from the accident, and besides, those were two of the only magazines who made editions for the visually impaired."

Santana took a moment to once again marvel at Brittany's strength and ability to carry on after such a terrible tragedy had been bestowed upon her, and both women fell silent, the only sound the steady chewing and the occasional clang of cutlery against the china plates.

Santana broke the silence minutes later, her curiosity about Brittany's life growing with each moment that passed.

"Uh, so Britt... what, uh, what did you do? Y'know, before..."

Brittany smiled appreciatively at Santana's prudence when asking her questions, and cleared her throat, answering the husky-voiced woman with a smile.

"I used to teach art to primary school kids, at a school a few miles away from here. I've always loved teaching, and I'm hoping to maybe return to it someday, even if I don't get my sight back."

Santana felt her heart falter, unable to believe how inspiring and positive Brittany still was, even after all she had been through. She glanced down, realising that they had finished their meal a good half an hour ago, but hadn't even noticed because they were too wrapped up in conversation.

"Hey Britt, uh, want me to clear all this stuff up for you?" Santana offered sweetly.

A warm feeling spread through Brittany as she heard the sincerity in Santana's voice.

"Yes please."

Santana quickly gathered up all of the plates and cutlery, carrying it to the kitchen.

"Just leave it all by the sink, I'll get Rachel to help me wash up when she gets home." Brittany called.

She stood up and turned to also make her way into the kitchen, but was halted when she sensed Santana's presence mere centimetres away from her. She was aware of the Hispanic girl's body almost touching hers, and could feel her warm breath tickling her neck.

"Sorry, I... I just couldn't carry on before... I have to... just..." Santana whispered, before gently placing her hands on either side of Brittany's face.

She leaned up on her tiptoes, nudging Brittany's nose gently with her own. She then tilted her head forward and planted the lightest of kisses on Brittany's lips, lingering for a second before pulling back, her arms now looped around the blonde's neck. An electric current zapped through both girls' bodies, as they became acutely aware of their close proximity to one another.

"Oh." Brittany breathed, unable to really form a coherent sentence, before wrapping her arms around Santana's waist. Santana simply leaned her forehead against Brittany's, closing her eyes and enjoying just being there in Brittany's arms.

"So," Brittany whispered a few minutes later, "What do you wanna do now?"

* * *

**Cliff-hanger time! Those of you who've read any of my previous fics know that I'm quite a fan of the occasional cliff-hanger, I think they make stories a lot more interesting and definitely leave you wanting more :D And for those of who don't really like cliff-hangers, never fear, for it won't be long before the new chapter is up! **

**Initially, there wasn't going to be a cliff-hanger for this chapter, but I thought that writing the entire thing would make it ridiculously long, so I decided to split it into two separate chapters instead. So this scene will continue straight away in the next chapter :)**

**Once again, thank you SO much to everyone who has reviewed, alerted and favourited this story. I continue to be amazed by the amount of support this fic is receiving, and it's what gives me the encouragement to keep going, so thank you all.**

**Anyway, I think that's it for now, so next update will be along soon, and until then, stay awesome everyone!**


	5. Chapter 5

"Painting is a blind man's profession. He paints not what he sees, but what he feels, and what he tells himself about what he has seen." – Pablo Picasso

* * *

Santana smiled to herself, feeling Brittany's arms wrapped securely around her. They had moved onto the sofa soon after their kiss, Brittany sitting down and lightly tugging on Santana's arm, until they were laying together, Brittany's head resting on Santana's shoulder as she lay with one leg thrown over her.

"San?" Brittany spoke tentatively.

"Hmm?" Santana sighed contentedly, as Brittany playfully nuzzled her neck, running her fingers gently over Santana's exposed collarbone.

"I've been thinking… I mean, it's getting pretty late, and, uh, I don't want you travelling home alone in the dark, so, uh, maybe you'd want to, I don't know…"

"Brittany, are you inviting me to stay over?" Santana giggled, gently stroking the blonde's cheek.

"Yeah, I guess I am." Brittany answered with a smile.

"I'd love to." Santana replied giddily. "There's only one problem – I don't have my pyjamas with me."

"You can borrow some of mine." Brittany whispered, her breath gliding tantalisingly over Santana's skin, her arm draped comfortably over the Hispanic woman's stomach.

"Okay." Santana breathed, feeling her heart rate increase slightly.

"I'm never going to get over how lovely your voice is." Brittany sighed, eliciting the cutest of shy giggles from Santana.

"And I'm never going to get over how beautiful you are." The dark-haired girl replied, watching as Brittany flushed that stunning shade of pink that Santana just adored.

"So," Brittany began, sitting up slightly and lacing her fingers through Santana's, "I suggest we watch a movie. How about it?"

"Sure." Santana chuckled, as she too sat up and made her way over to Brittany and Rachel's extensive collection of DVD's. "Which, uh, which movie do you want to watch Britt?" she asked, slightly hesitantly, unsure of how Brittany intended on watching anything.

"Hmm, how about Mean Girls? I've seen that movie so many times, I can quote it in my sleep, so I'm sure I can watch it like this-" – she gestured to her beautiful yet vacant eyes – "without much difficulty."

Santana smiled sadly, once again feeling a pang of sympathy for the inspiring woman in front of her who seemed to let nothing stop her from doing what she wanted.

"Sure thing Britt, whatever you want."

Santana quickly removed the DVD from its case, inserting it into the player and scrambling back up to resume her position next to Brittany on the sofa.

She was still thinking about how amazing Brittany was, and had inadvertently started muttering to herself, a habit that Quinn relentlessly teased her for on a regular basis. She didn't realise that she had spoken aloud until Brittany cocked her head to the side and said, "What?"

Santana froze, her hand suspended in mid-air as she clutched the remote, about to press Play.

"Oh, uh… nothing." She flushed, her face rapidly turning red.

"Come on San, tell me what you were mumbling so ardently about." Brittany teased gently, reaching out slowly and taking Santana's hand between her own.

"I, uh… well, I was just saying how… incredible I think you are." Santana mumbled, somewhat timidly. "I mean, you've been through so much, and your life has changed so… drastically over the past year, and yet, you still manage to go about your life with a smile on your face and love in your heart. It's just… it's wonderful. You're wonderful." She finished quietly, nervously nibbling her bottom lip.

Brittany crossed her legs in front of her, fiddling with the hem of her top.

"I wasn't always like this."

"What do you mean?" Santana asked, brow furrowed in confusion.

"Well, uh, just after the accident happened, I went through kind of a bad time. I didn't really want to be… around anymore. I know it sounds horrible, but that's how I felt. Like my life was over."

Santana blanched, unable to imagine her life now without Brittany in it. The woman was like her own personal ray of sunshine.

"Oh Britt…" she breathed, moving over to put her arm around the blonde's shoulders, which were trembling.

"It's just… it seemed like all the happiness had been drained from me, from my life. And then…"

She trailed off, sniffling quietly.

"And then?" Santana prompted, gripping Brittany's hand tighter.

"And then you came along." She whispered, the tiniest of smiles lighting up her face. "You changed my life for the better, Santana. You walked in, with your thoughtfulness and kindness and compassion, and made me remember why my life was worth living."

Santana was choked up, unable to think of a worthy response to such an honest declaration.

"Brittany, I…"

"Shhh. You don't have to say anything." The blonde assured her. "Just… lie with me."

"Okay." Santana said, lying back down as Brittany held her close to her chest.

* * *

Half an hour into the movie, and things had begun to heat up slightly. From her position behind Santana – they were basically spooning – Brittany had slowly started to run her hands up and down Santana's stomach; there was an air of innocence involved in the way her hands roamed the contours of Santana's body curiously, her touches going from timid to slightly more daring once Santana turned to face Brittany, her own hands quickly coming to rest on Brittany's hips.

"You're so beautiful." Santana breathed, bringing her hands up to caress Brittany's cheeks before pulling her in for a soft kiss.

Their lips connected, gently at first, starting up a slow rhythm that left both girls wanting more. Then, much to Santana's surprise, Brittany initiated slightly more force into the kiss, running her tongue slowly along Santana's bottom lip. The Hispanic woman sighed contentedly, her leg moving up to hook around Brittany's waist, pulling the blonde woman even closer until they were pressed up against each other, a bundle of uncontained heat and energy moving as one.

Brittany made sure she savoured every second of this moment with Santana; the feeling of Santana's soft, plump lips on her own; the way Santana's hands moved so surely over her body, never being too forceful or hasty; the small gasps and sighs coming from Santana's mouth.

It was at times like this when she wished she could see Santana; wished she could see her face, see the expressions written there, see that smile that accompanied the giggle that Brittany loved so much.

Brittany then pulled back slightly, breaking the kiss, but leaving her hands resting on Santana's waist.

"Britt? What's wrong? Am I moving too fast?" Santana questioned, a note of panic in her voice.

"No, it's not you. It's just that… I, uh… I haven't been with anyone… like this… since the accident."

"Oh." Santana breathed. "Well, I want you to know, there's no pressure, at all. We'll take things slow; you don't have to do anything you don't want to do. Okay?"

Brittany nodded, eternally grateful that Santana was so understanding and compassionate.

"So, how about we get back to this movie, eh?" Santana smiled, lying back and pulling Brittany back until the blonde was pressed into her chest.

Brittany felt Santana's arms around her and snuggled back into her, giggling as Santana pushed her hair out of the way and delicately blew a raspberry just below her ear.

Santana then picked up the remote from where she had dropped it behind her on the sofa, and turned the volume up a little, resting her head in the nook between Brittany's neck and shoulder as the movie continued in front of them.

"_Don't have sex, or you will get pregnant, and die…"_

* * *

A few minutes later, however, Brittany felt around for the remote and once she had found it, paused the movie. Santana looked down at the blonde, curious as to what was going on.

"Britt?"

Brittany turned so she was lying on her back, Santana leaning up on her elbow, peering down, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine. Well, it's more than fine, actually." Brittany replied with a smile. "I've, uh, I've got something to ask you though."

Santana felt her heartbeat quicken, unsure of what Brittany could possibly want to ask her.

"So, I like you. Actually, scratch that. I _really _like you, Santana."

The raven-haired girl blushed, playing with Brittany's fingers coyly.

"And?"

"And, I was wondering if… if you'd like to be… Santana, will you be my girlfriend?"

Santana's heart was thumping ecstatically, as she responded to Brittany's question with what seemed to be the only possible answer in her mind.

"Of course I will, Britt. Of course I will."

* * *

**So, I know this chapter was shorter than normal, but that's because I've planned for the next chapter to be a pretty big one, in terms of length and what happens in it. Sorry to anyone who wanted more, but I hope you all enjoyed this fluffy update anyway! :)**

**As usual, here is a ginormous thank you to all over you who have reviewed, favourited and subscribed to this story. I continue to be flabbergasted by the amount of support I have been receiving, and I am so grateful for it.**

**Also, here's a little note for y'all – there will be a smut scene coming up in the next chapter, and I don't have much experience when it comes to writing scenes like that. So, I'd really appreciate feedback on it when I upload it – be as nice as you can! :D – so I can get an idea of what I did well and what I could improve on.**

**So, next chapter will be along soon, and until then, stay awesome everyone! **


	6. Chapter 6

"Love is blind; friendship closes its eyes." – Friedrich Nietzsche

* * *

They remained snuggled on the sofa like that the rest of the movie, until the end credits were rolling, Santana's head lolling back slightly, her eyes drooping. Brittany listened intently as Santana began to snore softly behind her, and had to cover her mouth in an attempt to hold in her giggles. Alas, her success at controlling her laughter was short-lived, as she emitted a loud snort a minute or so later, startling Santana and causing her to sit up abruptly.

"Brittany?" she mumbled, squinting, disorientated from her sudden awakening.

"Sorry. You're just so funny when you sleep." Brittany giggled.

"Tell me something I don't know." Santana yawned, chuckling as she remembered Quinn's reaction when she had first experienced her snoring.

"So, San, do you want to go to bed? To sleep, I mean! Because, uh, you seem tired…" Brittany trailed off, flushing in embarrassment at her nervous stuttering that only Santana seemed to cause.

"Sure Britt." Santana smiled, taking Brittany's hand and bringing it up to rest on her cheek.

"What are you doing?" the blonde asked curiously.

"Putting your hand on my cheek so you can feel how much you make me smile." Santana responded.

Brittany beamed, her heart pounding within the confines of her chest.

"So, you were saying something about bed?"

"Oh yeah! Um, this way." Brittany said, as she stood up, holding her hand out for Santana to hold.

Santana stood up too quickly however, and stumbled a little, knocking into the side table that was next to sofa.

"Watch where you're going." Brittany said wryly, as Santana chuckled at the tone of irony in the blonde's voice.

Santana then grasped Brittany's hand, squeezing it gently before following her out into the hallway.

"See, it's a good thing I chose this bungalow when I first moved here," Brittany spoke, "I mean, imagine me trying to navigate a staircase like this? I was clumsy enough when I _could_ see!"

Both girls giggled at this, as Brittany located her bedroom with help of her guide stick.

"Okay, um, why don't you take a seat on the bed, and I'll grab you some pyjamas?" Brittany asked, turning to make her way towards her closet.

"Okay babe." Santana answered casually.

Brittany halted in her tracks.

"Did… did you just call me 'babe'?" she whispered.

Santana also froze, unsure of whether Brittany thought this was a good thing or not.

"Uh, yeah I did. It just came out, I mean, I'm sorry if-"

"I love it."

"What?"

"I love that you, I don't know, feel like we can be 'like that' with each other already."

"Oh yeah? Like what?" Santana asked with a small smile.

"You know. Like, having pet names for each other, and wearing each other's pyjamas!" she giggled.

"Speaking of pyjamas," Santana chuckled, "Am I going to be receiving some any time soon?"

"Oh right!" Brittany exclaimed, turning back around and resuming her journey to her closet.

Soon, a pair of boy shorts were tossed out onto Brittany's bedroom floor, along with a large t-shirt.

"Is that okay?" she called, her voice booming around the rather large storage space.

"It's perfect, thank you!" Santana replied.

She got changed quickly, perching on the bed patiently. However, a few minutes later, her peaceful thoughts were interrupted by a loud crash coming from within the closet.

"Britt?!" she called, as she raced over and flung open the door.

Brittany was sprawled out on the floor, her face a mixed expression of annoyance and surprise.

"Brittany! Are you okay? What happened?" Santana asked frantically, rushing in and helping Brittany to her feet.

"I'm fine, don't worry. Rachel must have put one of her suitcases in here and forgot about it, because I just tripped over one, and I know that none of my suitcases have bells attached to them." Brittany laughed.

Santana breathed a sigh of relief, reassured that Brittany was in fact okay.

"Y'know, this situation seems all too familiar to me." Brittany said dryly.

"What do you mean?"

"Remember how we first met?" she giggled.

"Of course!" Santana gasped. "After your little hit-and-not-run in the library. How could I forget?" She chortled.

It was only then that Santana noticed that although Brittany had also put on a baggy t-shirt to sleep in, she was not in fact wearing anything on her legs except for her underwear.

"Uh, Britt… your, um, your shorts seem to be missing."

"Oh! Yeah, I was about to put them on when I had my encounter with the suitcase from hell."

As she reached into her drawer and extracted a pair, Santana found her eyes trailing down Brittany's body until they came to rest on her legs.

It was then that she realised that the blonde's skinny jeans didn't even begin to do justice to what they were hiding underneath.

Brittany's legs were long and slender, a sure sign that Brittany liked to work out and keep herself in good shape. Santana could see the defined muscles as the blonde moved around, putting first one leg then the other into the assigned holes in her shorts leisurely. She watched as Brittany's toned thighs clenched and unclenched, and had to stifle a moan when the blonde turned and bent down to pick up the suitcase, giving Santana a perfect view of her tight, mouth-watering ass.

Santana took a few deep breaths, trying to steady her heart and calm her most sensitive area, which was currently throbbing erratically. But, her growing arousal suddenly increased when Brittany lifted her arms to feel around for the shelf above her, reaching up to place the empty suitcase in a safe place. This new position gave Santana a front-row seat to the spectacular set of abs that Brittany possessed, and this time she couldn't contain the wanton sigh that escaped her lips.

Brittany, however, was completely oblivious to the internal struggle that Santana was undergoing, and so was taken slightly by surprise when she felt Santana come up behind her and press her body against hers, pressing her lips gently onto Brittany's neck.

"Oh." The blonde sighed, leaning back further into Santana, tilting her head to give the Hispanic woman easier access to her neck.

"Britt," she whispered, "Tell me if I'm moving too fast, okay?"

Brittany nodded, unable to form a coherent reply as her senses were overridden by Santana's lips on her pulse point. She couldn't even remember her previous reason for not wanting to get too physical with Santana; all she could think about now was how much she cared for this woman, how amazing Santana made her feel, and how she wanted to be with her in every possible way.

"The bed." Brittany gasped, reaching up with her hands and tangling them in Santana's hair.

"You sure?" Santana whispered hoarsely.

"Yes."

Santana then spun Brittany around, so they were face to face. She took Brittany's face in her hands, kissing her passionately. While there was an electric charge in the air between them, the kiss was still gentle and tender, Santana massaging Brittany's lips with her own sensually, showing her how much she adored her.

Brittany then pulled back, eliciting a small grunt of displeasure from Santana.

"Bed. Now." The blonde said lowly, her body tingling all over.

Santana picked Brittany up, looping the blonde's legs around her waist. She carried Brittany over to the large double bed, putting her down gently before scrambling on too and kneeling next to her.

"You let me make you feel good, okay?" Santana whispered, leaning down to slowly kiss her once again.

"Okay." Brittany sighed.

The blonde then closed her eyes, immersing herself in the feeling of Santana's lips on hers. She felt Santana tugging lightly on the hem of her shirt, and knew what she wanted, lifting her arms so the raven-haired woman could quickly rid her of the unwarranted garment.

Brittany felt Santana straddle her, and sighed as Santana slow slid her hands down Brittany's chest, lightly cupping her ample breasts. But, Santana decided to ravish Brittany a little more before any more clothing was removed, and so she removed her hands, instead placing her mouth on Brittany's collarbone. She nibbled lightly, prompting Brittany to squeal unexpectedly.

"That tickles." She giggled, much to Santana's delight.

Her focus was soon drawn back to the sensation of Santana's mouth on her body, as she moved from Brittany's collarbone to the small dip in between her breasts. She ran her tongue up Brittany's chest, revelling in the softness of Brittany's skin, as Brittany gasped at the way Santana's tongue felt against her bare skin.

Brittany moaned as Santana then slid her hands beneath her and removed her bra, running her hands up Brittany's stomach slowly until they were resting at each side of Brittany's chest. Santana cupped Brittany's breasts, squeezing them gently. She then ran a thumb over each nipple, quickly causing them to stiffen. This brought forth an almost animalistic moan from Brittany, which only served to spur Santana on even more. She shuffled down Brittany's body, until she was at eye level with Brittany's heaving, juicy peaks.

"You okay Britt?" she rasped.

"N-never been better." Brittany panted, head tilted back.

Santana took this encouragement to continue, and so latched onto one of Brittany's nipples with her lips, sucking on it lightly. She then swirled her tongue around the nub, feeling Brittany twitch and writhe beneath her, before she moved over and performed the same actions on the other nipple.

"Oh… Santana…" Brittany gasped, feeling Santana's hot breath trail down her body as she moved further down.

Santana stopped when she was in line with Brittany's hips, but decided to tease the blonde a little. She spread Brittany's legs gently, blowing gently on Brittany's sensitive womanhood. She then latched onto Brittany's left thigh, peppering kisses from her knee to her hip bone, before moving over slightly and giving Brittany's right thigh the same treatment.

"You… are… such… a… tease." Brittany growled, Santana's muffled laughter only serving to frustrate her even more.

Santana then hooked her hands under Brittany's hips, pulling off first her shorts and then her light blue girl boxers – which Santana thought were absolutely adorable, by the way.

Brittany gasped as cold air greeted her throbbing core, the exposure sending shivers up her spine.

Santana then lay between Brittany's legs, hooking her hands under Brittany's thighs to hold them still.

She leaned forward, first planting a soft kiss on Brittany's already dripping centre. She then licked a slow line up, lightly bumping Brittany's clit with her tongue as she did so. The blonde was not prepared for this, and let out an almighty moan of pleasure, which soon transformed into a sigh when Santana began swirling her tongue around her clit in small circles.

Brittany's hips began to buck wildly, as Santana's licks got more and more vigorous. But, she didn't want to make Brittany come undone so soon, and so she pulled back, drawing out an almost primitive snarl from Brittany.

"Wh-what are you doing?" the blonde panted, desperate for more of Santana's touch.

"You'll see." Santana smirked, eyes dark and lustful, with Brittany's arousal growing even more at the devious tone in Santana's voice.

Santana then brought one hand out from under Brittany's thighs, and ran a finger along Brittany's slick folds. The blonde whined and squirmed beneath her touch, as Santana continued to gently stroke her wet centre, her fingers coated in Brittany's juices.

Meanwhile, Brittany's senses were going into overdrive. Her body was electric, convulsing and tingling of its own accord. Every time Santana touched her, a zap of pure desire wracked her body, bringing out animalistic moans and angelic sighs. As Santana continued to caress her throbbing core, she felt a deep, unmitigated need welling up within her.

"Inside. I need you inside me." She rasped, eyes rolling back into her head as Santana rubbed her clit forcefully.

And Santana complied, sliding one finger into Brittany slowly.

The moan that was drawn out of the blonde was guttural, the sound nothing but pure lust. Santana slowly started moving her finger in and out, adding another a few moments later, inducing a lust-filled sigh from Brittany as the blonde arched up off the bed.

A few more thrusts and Brittany reached her climax, crying out ecstatically as her body was flooded with feelings of pleasure that she didn't even know existed. Santana was also extremely close to the edge, her arousal growing with each of Brittany's desperate moans, and so she too found herself on the brink of enlightenment when she climaxed seconds later.

Santana lapped up Brittany's sweet juices, revelling in the fact that she had managed to get Brittany into this crazed state.

She then crawled up the bed until she was lying next to Brittany and pulled the duvet over their naked bodies, and then both girls simply lay in silence for a while, panting heavily.

A few minutes later, Santana turned to face Brittany, resting her hand atop the blonde's stomach. Brittany sensed Santana's movements and followed suit, turning so she too was lying on her side, until their faces were mere inches away from each other.

Santana kept quiet, waiting for Brittany to speak.

"That was… wow. That was incredible." The blonde whispered, her voice hoarse.

"I know." Santana croaked back, watching as Brittany's face cracked into a small smile.

"Santana…?" Brittany said softly.

"Hmm?"

"I want to… I mean, I'd like to… y'know… return the favour, but it's a bit… difficult… "

Santana opened her half-closed eyes, planting a kiss on Brittany's nose before speaking.

"Britt, it's like I said; you don't have to feel pressured to do anything. And believe me, this night has been… more than amazing for me. It was perfect."

"Really?" Brittany whispered.

"Really."

Santana snuggled into Brittany, her nose pressed into the blonde's chest.

"San?" Brittany spoke again, this time her voice small and scared.

"Yeah babe?" Santana mumbled.

"I love you."

Santana lifted her head up and grinned, kissing Brittany softly. She then pulled back, embracing Brittany and holding the blonde to her chest. But, just before they both drifted off to sleep, Santana whispered a few last words.

"I love you too, Britt. But I'm mad at you."

"Why?" mumbled the blonde in confusion.

"Because I wanted to say that first."

* * *

**The moment of truth has arrived. This was my first proper attempt at writing smut, not counting the Faberry one-shot I wrote a while ago, so I'm pretty nervous about it. Feedback is appreciated, and I'd love to know if I did a good job with this chapter.**

**As always, I am AMAZED by the number of wonderful reviews I've been receiving, along with the overwhelming number of alerts and favourites. Thank you to everyone who has continued to support this story, whether you've followed it from the start or if you've only discovered it recently.**

**Okay, well, that's about it for this round. The next chapter should be along fairly soon as usual, where you'll be introduced to some new faces! :D Until then, stay awesome everyone!**


	7. Chapter 7

"Perhaps only in a world of the blind will things be truly what they are." – Jose Saramago

* * *

Santana's eyes fluttered open, as she took a minute to adjust to the beams of sunlight filtering through the lace curtains that adorned the large bay window across the room. She lay still for a moment, absorbing everything going on around her; Brittany's arm draped over her torso; the blonde's face nuzzled into her neck; their legs intertwined beneath the covers. They were tangled up in each other, haphazardly, yet they seemed to fit so perfectly together. Santana smiled, looking down at Brittany, who was still sleeping peacefully. She then remembered her reason for waking up, and slid out of bed as stealthily as she could, making her way to the bathroom across the hall. However, she didn't notice the mound of fur that was in front of her, what with her eyes still being half-shut, and so it was no surprise that she ended up sprawled on the floor a few seconds later, with Lord Tubbington letting out an almighty wail that sounded almost like a battle cry. The portly feline scampered off amidst all the commotion, leaving Santana slumped on the floor, legs akimbo, with a pounding in her head from where she had struck the doorframe during her fall. Naturally, the excessive noise had woken Brittany, who was now sat bolt upright in bed, hair askew, eyes darting frantically from side to side as she listened intently, trying to determine what had happened to cause such a racket.

"Santana?" she called hesitantly, fearing the worst.

"I'm okay." Santana replied. "Stupid cat." She grumbled, as she slowly got to her feet, rubbing at the sore spot on the side of her head.

"What happened?"

"Urgh, just your fat cat being a nuisance as usual." Santana muttered.

"Sorry. My pussy gets a bit excited in the morning."

Santana froze, unsure whether to laugh or mount Brittany right then and there. But then Brittany giggled, breaking the momentary sexual tension that had descended upon the room.

"Oh Britt." Santana chuckled, as she crossed the hall and finally entered the bathroom.

She re-entered the bedroom about fifteen minutes later, and scrambled back into bed, gathering Brittany in her arms warmly.

"Hey." Brittany giggled, as Santana bopped her nose with her own.

"Hey." Came the soft reply.

"Wait a second. Santana, did you just brush your teeth and have a shower?" Brittany quizzed, one eyebrow raised, as she doggedly sniffed the air in front of her.

"Uh, yeah… Why?" Santana questioned, confusion evident in her voice.

"You weren't supposed to do that yet!"

"…Come again?" Santana said slowly.

"I mean, you're not supposed to get up, brush your teeth, shower, and then get back into bed, because now, you smell all delightful and fruity and minty fresh, and I probably smell like something Lord Tubbington dragged in!"

Santana laughed at this, never failing to be amused by Brittany's adorable little quirks.

"Believe me Britt, you smell fine. In fact," Santana whispered, leaning over to press her nose into Brittany's collarbone and inhale slowly, "you smell rather divine."

"Oh really?" Brittany husked, feeling tingles zap up and down her spine as Santana nipped at her collarbone lightly.

"You smell of my two favourite things." Santana drawled, smiling into Brittany's skin.

"Oh yeah? And what would they be?" Brittany giggled.

"Well, the first one is sex, of course." Santana said, as Brittany chortled. "And the second smell is, well, you."

"Me? How do I smell of 'me'? What does that smell like?" Brittany questioned, mystified.

"It's hard to explain. You just have this… scent. It's rather delicious actually, intoxicating even. It's addictive." Santana whispered into Brittany's ear.

"Describe it to me." Brittany breathed in wonder.

"It's like… if someone was to combine the most wonderful aromas in the world, like caramel and apples and fireworks and vanilla… that would be your smell. That would be you."

Brittany smiled at this, as Santana lay down in between Brittany's legs with her head resting on Brittany's chest, leaning up to plant a soft kiss on the blonde's cheek. Brittany then reached up with her hand and stroked Santana's temple, but stopped abruptly when the dark-haired girl let out a low hiss as Brittany accidentally ran her thumb over the sore spot on Santana's head.

"Hey, hey, what's wrong?" the blonde asked worriedly, sliding her hands down until they were cupping Santana's face tenderly.

"Oh, it's nothing." Santana replied airily. "I just hit my head when I tripped over Tubbs."

"Well, I'm not letting you sit here in pain." Brittany said, moving to get out of bed.

"Wait, where are you going?"

"To get you some ice for your head."

"But Britt, I'm fine-"

"I'm getting you ice." Brittany stated adamantly. "I'll be back in a minute."

Santana rolled off of Brittany, disgruntled, burying her face in her pillow and huffing loudly to show her displeasure.

"You're moody in the morning." Brittany chuckled, as she swung her legs out of the bed and reached down to retrieve her cane from the floor beside her.

"No, I just don't want you to leave because I wants to get my cuddle on." Santana muttered.

"You're just the cutest, you know that?" Brittany gushed, as she stood up and stretched, before walking slowly towards the door, heading towards the kitchen to retrieve some ice from the freezer.

"I think you'll find that's you babe." Santana called, a small smirk on her face.

"Always the charmer." Brittany laughed, before heading into the kitchen.

She returned moments later, ice pack in hand.

"Okay, scoot on over." She smiled, as she sat back on the bed, bringing her legs up and under the duvet, smiling as she felt Santana wrap the cover around her. "Now, show me where it hurts." Brittany commanded, holding out her hand for Santana to place on the spot where her injury was.

Santana directed Brittany's hand to the sore spot, and the blonde then proceeded to place the ice pack on it, prompting Santana to shy away from the unwanted cold.

"San, come on. I want to help you." Brittany murmured gently.

"But it's cold." Santana whined.

"I know babe. But this will help you feel better. Let me take care of you, okay?"

"Okay." Santana sighed.

"Alright, come here then." Brittany motioned to the space in front of her, as she brought her knees up and spread them slightly, making room for Santana to sit in between her legs in front of her. Santana obliged, snuggling back into Brittany until she was leaning back on the blonde's chest, Brittany herself leaning up on her pillows.

Brittany lay her chin on Santana's shoulder, moving her hand up slowly until the ice pack was once again resting on the tender area of Santana's temple. But this time Santana didn't pull away; instead, she just immersed herself in the feeling of Brittany's warmth seeping into her as she sat nestled in between her legs, and pretty soon she could barely even feel the cold anymore.

"Better?" Brittany spoke a while later.

"Much." Santana sighed contentedly.

"I told you." Brittany smirked triumphantly.

"Alright you, don't gloat." Santana chuckled.

"Anyway, San," Brittany began speaking excitedly, wrapping her arms around Santana's waist lovingly, "what do you want to do today? I mean, we've got the whole day to do what we want, since Puck's taking Rachel to see Wicked for the gazillionth time this afternoon, so we can stay in, watch a movie, order a take away. How does that sound?"

Santana pursed her lips, considering Brittany's idea.

"That sounds fun, Britt. But, I have another idea that you might like."

"Enlighten me." Brittany murmured into Santana's ear, her warm breath tickling Santana's neck and causing her to giggle endearingly.

"Okay, well, our date here last night was lovely, I really enjoyed it. But, I'd like for us to go out, y'know, on a proper date. I want to escort you to a restaurant, buy you dinner, and enjoy a lovely night out with my girlfriend. Especially after all you did for me last night! And I know this great place, it's just down the road from here, an Italian restaurant called Breadstix. The food is to die for, and they have this policy that says you can order as many breadsticks as you like, I mean, they are literally not allowed to stop bringing you breadsticks! One time, I went there with Quinn, and I took a wheelbarrow and pretty much filled it up with breadsticks, and the manager tried to stop me so I just ran out with the barrow of breadsticks, and there was nothing they could do because they were obliged to give them to me, it was freakin' hilarious-"

"Santana!" Brittany interrupted.

"Yeah babe?"

"I, uh…"

The Hispanic woman turned in Brittany's arms, sitting on her knees, watching Brittany curiously as the blonde struggled with whatever she was trying to say.

"Britt? What's up? Come on, you know you can talk to me about anything." Santana reassured, placing her hands atop Brittany's knees.

"Well, it's just that… I haven't been out much since the accident. Sure, I've been shopping a few times with Rachel, and obviously I have my trips to the library, but I haven't been out anywhere properly."

"Why?" Santana asked softly.

"Because I hate the reactions I get from people. They think because I can't see them, that I don't know what they're saying? What they're thinking? I hear the whispers, the sighs of pity, the speculation as they try to work out how such a young woman could lose her sight so early on in life, and what 'terrible fate' must have befallen me to hinder me so badly. And I can't stand it. I can't stand being made to feel like some circus freak, there for people to stare at. It's too… it's just too hard."

Santana listened to all of this with wide eyes, unable to even imagine how awful being treated like that must feel.

"Britt…"

"No, it's okay. You don't have to say anything. I just wanted to be honest with you. And now you know."

"Britt, listen to me, okay? If you were to come out with me, I guarantee that people wouldn't be thinking any of those things. You know what they would be thinking?"

Brittany shook her head slightly.

"They would be wondering what such an amazing woman like you was doing with someone like me."

"_Someone like you_? Santana, how can you even say that?! You're incredibl-"

Brittany's words were cut off by Santana leaning forward and kissing her passionately, threading her fingers through Brittany's silky blonde locks. She pulled back a few seconds later, both girls breathing heavily.

"Okay." Brittany whispered.

"What?"

"Okay. I'll go to Breadstix with you. In fact, it would be an honour to accompany you as your date."

Santana beamed, pecking Brittany once again on the lips before sitting back and taking her hand.

"Are you sure? I mean, I don't want to you feel like you have to go just because of me-"

"Santana. Listen to me. I love you more than Snape loved Lily. I love you more than Peeta loved Katniss. And I love you more than Timone loved Pumba. So, if going to Breadstix with me is going to make you happy, then I'm happy to do it. Simple as that."

Santana ducked her head, feeling her eyes well up slightly as the sheer honesty of Brittany's words.

"…San? You okay?"

"Yeah." Santana choked out, clearing her throat to try and mask her emotions.

Alas, Brittany's sharp ears did not miss Santana's gulps or the sound of her snuffling quietly, and the blonde reached out and laid her hand upon Santana's cheek, feeling the slight dampness that was left behind in the form of a thin trail of tears. She wiped the miniscule water droplets off with her thumb, caressing Santana's cheek affectionately.

"You know I love you too, right?" Santana sniffed, turning her head and kissing Brittany's palm.

"Like Hercules loved Meg." Brittany answered with a small smile.

* * *

Santana had gone home soon after that, wanting to get changed for their first official 'date' later that evening. But, she had barely been home two minutes when her phone rang.

"Hello."

"Oh, so you're alive then?"

"Hey Quinn." Santana smiled.

"Don't 'Hey Quinn' me. You've barely spoken to me in weeks, I mean, you could've been dead for all I knew!"

"Aww, were you worried about me?" Santana teased.

"No." Quinn answered, although the slight waver in her voice said otherwise. "I just miss you, okay? We both do."

As if on cue, Santana heard Kurt call from the background:

"Is that San? Tell her I said stop being such a stranger and to get her butt over here, soon!"

Santana giggled, appreciating the fact that her friends cared about her so much.

"Anyway, what's going on with you? I'm guessing the reason why you've been AWOL is because you've been getting down and ditty with Britty, am I right?"

"Quinn!"

"That confirms it."

"You are just awful." Santana chuckled, as Quinn giggled on the other end.

"Seriously though, how are things with the two of you? Going well, I hope?" Quinn asked, her voice softer this time.

"It's good, Quinn. Really good actually. I think she's…"

"Made for you?"

"Exactly." Santana smiled.

"I know what you mean. I feel the same way about Sam."

"So you two are back on now?"

"Yeah. I mean, sure he says some dumb things at times, and my god, his impressions are never-ending, but ultimately he's a really sweet guy and he really cares about me. We're watching a movie together now, in fact."

"Good. I'm really happy for you, Q."

"Ditto." Quinn said, the smile evident in her voice.

"Alright, well, I gotta go and get ready now. I'm taking Britt to Breadstix tonight."

"The 'Stix, eh? Wow, this must be serious." Quinn mock-gasped, giggling in amusement.

Santana joined in her laughter, but they were soon interrupted by a deep voice booming over the phone line.

"THIS MORNING I WOKE UP AND DECIDED TO SWALLOW THE SUN!"

"Damn it Sam! How many times do I have to tell you, STOP using the other line to quote movies when I'm in the middle of a call?" Quinn yelled exasperatedly.

"Howdy Trouty." Santana laughed.

"Hey Lopez." Sam replied, chortling.

"Okay Q, I really have to go now. I'll see you soon! And Sam, I'd run if I were you." Santana chuckled, hearing Quinn yell, "Damn you, Sam Evans!" before hanging up.

* * *

Santana pulled up outside of Brittany's house a few minutes before the arranged time, checking her hair and make-up in the mirror out of habit. When she was satisfied, she swiftly opened the car door and stepped out onto the sidewalk, smoothing down a wrinkle that had appeared in her dress during the ride over.

She had dressed up a little more than she had for their house date, donning a shimmery black dress that Kurt described as 'ass-tastic', along with her favourite leather jacket with tassels on the sleeves and her studded black boots with a heel. She felt so badass.

She strode up to Brittany's front door, knocking confidently a few times. She was surprised when a perky brunette answered the door, but quickly recognised her as Rachel, Brittany's housemate and friend.

"Hey. You must be Rachel." Santana smiled warmly.

"Why, hello there! Welcome to our humble abode." She proclaimed theatrically, as she gestured dramatically with her arm extended.

"Don't mind her." Came a deep male voice from behind Rachel. "She's practising for her upcoming Broadway debut next week."

"Puuuuuuuuck." Rachel blushed. "I'm just auditioning for an off-Broadway show, but with a bit of luck, this will help catapult me into the wild world of theatre!" she exclaimed excitedly. "Oh, and this is Puck, my boyfriend."

Santana shook hands with the tall man, who she noticed was sporting a Mohawk and an array of tattoos.

"Cool tattoos." Santana remarked.

"Thanks. I did a few of them myself." He smirked.

"Really?" Santana queried, slightly impressed by this.

"Puck's a tattoo artist." Rachel interjected. "He's even done a few of mine."

"Wow. Awesome." Santana chuckled, finding herself more than a little amused by the odd, albeit very adorable couple standing in front of her.

"Rachel, I need you to come and make sure that my bra isn't visible through my top…"

Brittany suddenly came bustling towards the front door, unaware that Santana had arrived as she hadn't heard the knocking a few minutes earlier.

"Uhh, Britt…" Rachel began.

"No, I seriously need you to check for me, because last time I went out and my dress came down, and my tits were just out, and-"

"Hey Britt." Santana spoke abruptly, stopping Brittany mid-sentence.

"…Santana." Brittany all but whispered, her face turning pale.

"Well, this just got awkward." Puck commented. "I'll leave you ladies to it."

With that, he ambled back towards the kitchen, Rachel quickly following in his wake.

Santana, meanwhile, was trying her hardest to remain composed, knowing how embarrassed Brittany could get in situations like this.

"How, uh… how much of that did you hear?" Brittany mumbled.

"Oh, you know… just something about your boobs being on display, which I would not complain about at all, by the way-"

"Santana!" Brittany giggled.

"What?" she laughed.

"Nothing. Come on in. I'll be ready in a few minutes."

"Okay."

Santana stepped over the threshold of the house, quickly savouring the sight of Brittany in the most adorable white dress, before placing her arms either side of Brittany's shoulders and planting a soft kiss on the blonde's awaiting lips.

"Mmm. I'm never going to get tired of that." Brittany breathed.

"Me either." Santana smiled.

"Me either." Came a voice from across the room.

"Puck!" Brittany exclaimed, torn between hitting him and laughing. "Okay, I think we'd better go now." She giggled as she pulled her shoes on, while Santana smirked at Puck, who had a rather smitten expression on his face.

"Honestly Noah, behave!" chastised Rachel, as she once again came out to join him in the hallway. "Anyway, have fun tonight ladies!"

"Thanks Rach!" Brittany grinned, as Santana began leading her out towards her car.

"It was nice to see you again!" Santana called back to Rachel over her shoulder. "And Puck, it was… interesting meeting you too!"

"Back at ya, little lady!" Puck hollered, while Rachel extracted a handkerchief from her pocket and began waving it melodramatically.

"Please tell me Rachel hasn't got that damn handkerchief out?" Brittany asked once they were seated in the car, rolling her eyes as she slid her tinted glasses on.

"Unfortunately yes." Santana giggled, as she pulled away from the curb and began driving towards Breadstix.

She then reached over and turned on the radio, pressing Play for the CD she had chosen especially for their ride to the restaurant. She grinned to herself as she watched recognition and excitement dawn on Brittany's face as the first few notes of the song trickled through the speakers.

"How did you know I love Britney Spears?" Brittany beamed.

"I just had a feeling, I guess. And of course it had absolutely nothing to do with the massive collection of CD's, t-shirts, and memorabilia that you have in your closet." Santana hummed cheekily.

"Well, what can I say? The woman's a legend!" Brittany tittered.

"Can't argue with that." Santana nodded.

Santana then reached over and grasped Brittany's hand in her own, as both girls let themselves become lost in the music, singing along at the top of their lungs, immersing themselves in the pure ecstatic joy of simply being with the woman they loved.

* * *

Brittany had decided: she officially loved Breadstix.

She loved the jaunty Italian-style music that filtered through the overhead speakers, the comfy padded booths that reminded her of the old-school diners that she adored so much, and most of all, she loved the mouth-watering, sensational food that she and Santana were currently enjoying.

"Ermagerdhhhhh." She mumbled through a mouthful of the most luscious pasta she had ever tasted.

"Ayknowrighhtfffff." Santana replied, her speech garbled as she shoved yet another breadstick into her already full mouth.

After a few more minutes of gorging themselves, they each sat back, breathing deeply.

"I think we may need to take a little break for a while." Santana panted slightly.

"Agreed." Brittany huffed, feeling as though her stomach could combust at any minute.

"Would you like a drink, B?" Santana offered with a smile.

"A drink is just what I need, thanks babe." Brittany replied happily.

"Any preference?"

"I'll have whatever you're having."

"Okay. Be right back."

Santana slid out of their booth, and made her way over to the drinks counter to order them both a glass of Coke.

Meanwhile, Brittany was fiddling with her glasses, a habit she usually demonstrated when she was nervous, which tended to happen when she was alone in public. However, not a second had passed before she heard a voice that chilled her to her very core.

"Well, well, well. Look who it is."

The cold, unwelcoming voice belonged to a formidable woman who went by the name Kitty Wilde. Ferocious and bitchy, this woman definitely lived up to her name. Kitty had been a colleague of Brittany's when she had first gone to teacher training school just over a year ago, but their relationship went a little further than that. They had dated, briefly, but Brittany had soon ended it when she found out how much of a psycho Kitty really was; this woman was certifiably crazy. And to say she was upset when Brittany broke up with her, well, that would be a severe understatement. She had proceeded to slash the tyres of Brittany's old car, and also attempted to set fire to Lord Tubbington by attaching a firecracker to his tail; luckily, the plump tabby cat managed to escape before she could do so, and so his tail remained unscathed. Kitty's tyrannous acts only stopped when Brittany took the matter to court and got a restraining order put on the insane blonde, but even then, she would send Brittany threatening letters and emails. The harassment had only completely stopped a few months ago when Kitty had heard about Brittany's accident; evidently, she didn't think a visually impaired person was worth her time, and so had given up, much to Brittany's relief. Yet another reason why Brittany saw her loss of vision as a blessing in disguise; not only had it brought her to Santana, but it had gotten Kitty off her back.

And yet, here she was, standing in front of Brittany, who was currently on a date with her new girlfriend. This was not going to end well.

"Fancy seeing you here." Kitty simpered, seeing the place setting opposite Brittany and quickly putting two and two together. "Oh, you're on a date!"

"Kitty, you know you're not supposed to be anywhere near this close to me-"

"Who is she?"

Brittany sighed, knowing that this part of the conversation was inevitable.

"Her name is Santana. We met at the library a while ago."

"The library?" Kitty guffawed. "What the hell would _you_ be doing at the library? Feeling the textures of the book covers? I mean, that's all you can do now, right?" she sneered evilly.

"Kitty, come on, let's not do this-"

"No! I think we should 'do this'. Maybe _Santana_ should find out all about our little history, hm?"

Brittany felt her heart sink a little; she didn't want Santana knowing that she had dated someone like Kitty, it was mortifying to say the least.

"Kitty, please-"

"_Kitty, please!" _the poisonous woman mimicked cruelly. "God, you are so pathetic. Oh, and do you honestly think this 'Santana' actually gives a damn about you? You know you're just a pity date, right? Yeah, so she can go and brag to all of her friends about what a Good Samaritan she is for dating a blind chick."

Brittany could feel tears building as each of Kitty's words stung like razor-sharp needles, but still she tried her hardest to stop them from cascading down her pale cheeks.

"Hey Britt, sorry I took so long, the line was ridiculously long-"

"Honestly, I'm glad we broke up. I wouldn't want to be saddled with a helpless case like you anyway. Look at you, you can't even defend yourself! I mean, what are you going to do, beat me with your stupid walking stick?"

Santana froze, staring at the scene unfolding before her; Brittany, trembling, her face streaked with tears, and a woman she didn't know, ice blonde hair tumbling down her back, standing in front of Brittany with her hands on her hips. She caught the last of the woman's words to Brittany, and a red mist immediately descended down over her eyes.

"What's going on here?" Santana muttered lowly as she put the drinks down on the table, her voice dangerous and threatening.

Brittany's head shot up, hands clenched as she realised that Santana was there.

"Santana! It's nothing, she was just leaving-"

"I heard what you said." Santana said, turning to glare directly at Kitty. "I heard what you said about her."

Kitty simply snickered, which only served to infuriate Santana further.

"You think it's funny? Mocking people with disabilities? Does that bring you joy?" Santana all but snarled.

"Actually, yes it does." Kitty answered haughtily, leering arrogantly at Santana.

"Oh really?" Santana growled, clenching her fists. "Well, you wanna know what brings me joy, you little bitch?!"

Kitty looked slightly affronted, not expecting Santana to retaliate so viciously.

"Beating the crap out of snarky fuckers like you!"

Santana then launched herself at Kitty, pushing her forcefully into their table and then wrestling the smaller girl to the ground. She began delivering punches all over Kitty's body, until she was bruised and red all over, shielding her face with her arms feebly.

However, during the tussle, neither girl had noticed that Brittany had been shoved back when Santana had flung Kitty into the table. So, when Santana was eventually yanked off of Kitty by two young male waiters, she was horrified to see Brittany slumped back in the booth, a small trail of blood seeping down her face, her eyelids fluttering as she fought to remain conscious.

* * *

**Yet another cliffhanger! I'm sorry, I just love them too much ;D Oh, and I apologise for the slightly longer wait you all had for this chapter, however it's the longest one yet so I hope that makes up for the wait.**

**As per usual, a million thank you's to everyone who is involved with this fic, whether you're a reviewer, a subscriber, or someone who just reads it when they get a spare moment and they need something to do. Thank you all. **

**I really hope you all liked this chapter, I tried to include a bit of everything; romance, humour, drama, etc. so hopefully you all found it entertaining to read :) **

**Next chapter should be along soon, and until then, stay awesome everyone! **


	8. Chapter 8

"There is a condition worse than blindness, and that is, seeing something that isn't there." – Thomas Hardy

* * *

"Britt? Britt!" Santana cried, rushing over to their booth and gathering Brittany up in her arms, cradling her head which was still oozing blood. "Someone get help! Call an ambulance, please!"

One of the waiters rushed off to alert the hospital immediately, while Kitty took this opportunity to steal away amidst all the commotion. However, Santana was too preoccupied to notice, her eyes fixed on the blood seeping down Brittany's temple, staining her porcelain cheeks, ruby red contrasting so violently against a pale white canvas.

Brittany was still slipping in and out of consciousness, occasionally mumbling incoherent words, her eyelids fluttering as she fought to remain awake, away from the darkness that was drawing her in so seductively in her mind.

"Britt, listen to me." Santana spoke, her voice laced with panic. "The ambulance is going to be here any minute now, so I just need you to stay with me until then, okay? Can you do that?"

Brittany gave the faintest of nods, Santana breathing a small sigh of relief as she grasped the blonde's hand.

However, it was becoming more and more difficult for Brittany to resist the tempting shadows that were threatening to envelop her, and soon found herself giving in, willingly closing her eyes, feeling a strange sense of calm wash over her as she sunk into the black haze that enclosed her mind. The last thing she heard was Santana's voice, imploring her to stay awake for just a few more minutes.

* * *

"I want to see her."

"I'm sorry, Miss Lopez, but I'm afraid that isn't allowed. This isn't an official visiting hour, so-"

"I don't fucking CARE if this isn't visiting hour; my girlfriend was just admitted here with a severe head injury and I don't know if she's going to be okay and I WANT TO FUCKING SEE HER!"

Santana was fuming, her breath coming out in short, sharp pants, as she fought to remain as composed as she could given the current circumstances.

"San, honey, come on, let's just come back later." Quinn spoke soothingly, gently tugging on Santana's arm.

Santana had called Quinn and Kurt as soon as she had reached the hospital, after shadowing the ambulance that was carrying Brittany. They had arrived shortly after, and she had hurriedly explained what had happened, with Kurt giving a little snarl and Quinn narrowing her eyes as Santana told them about Kitty.

They were currently stood in the reception area, and Santana was just about ready to rip apart the poor nurse working behind the desk, who looked absolutely petrified.

Luckily, Kurt intervened before things could get out of hand.

"Santana." He spoke firmly, knowing that he was the only person she would listen to right now.

The Hispanic woman turned to face him apprehensively, her body tense and stiff. However, while physically she looked poised and ready for a fight, her eyes were clouded with worry and unshed tears. Kurt's frowned softened upon seeing this, pulling Santana into a tight hug.

"Now, listen here." He mumbled into her hair softly. "Would Brittany want you to risk getting yourself into trouble by making a scene? Hmm?"

Santana shook her head against Kurt's chest, wrapping her arms around his slender torso.

"Right. So, how about we all go back to mine and Quinn's apartment, and you get some sleep, then we come back when the hospital says we can, and then you can see Brittany? How does that sound?"

Santana pulled back, sniffling a little, giving Kurt a small smile.

"Well, that sounds better than my plan to break into the hospital over night and sneak into Brittany's room." She giggled.

Kurt laughed too; glad to see she still had her snarky sense of humour.

"There she is." He smiled, pulling her in for one more hug before releasing her and turning to Quinn, who was standing off to one side, texting Sam to let him know what had happened.

"Q, you ready to go?"

The blonde nodded, pocketing her phone before reaching out for Santana's hand. The dark-haired girl grasped it gratefully, shooting Quinn a smile. But, just before they began making their way towards the doors, Santana held back, mumbling, "Hold on a minute."

She turned, walking slowly back towards the receptionist, whose eyes widened in terror as she saw Santana approaching.

"It's okay. I'm not going to... I just came to apologise. I shouldn't have yelled at you like I did. This isn't your fault."

Santana offered the woman a small smile, then glanced down at her name badge.

"Okay, well I'll see you around, Tina."

The Asian woman smiled a little, her eyes softening with understanding.

"Goodnight, Miss Lopez."

"You can call me Santana." She smiled.

"Okay. Goodbye, Santana."

* * *

The drive back to Kurt and Quinn's was relatively quick, as it had reached late evening by the time they had left the hospital, meaning the roads were pretty deserted. Quinn had sat in the back of the car with Santana, holding her hand and stroking it reassuringly, while Kurt played soothing music to try and calm Santana's nerves.

"Okay, we're here." He announced, unbuckling his seatbelt and flinging open his door, quickly getting out and opening Santana's door for her with a smile.

"Thanks, Kurt, but I can open my own door, you know." She chuckled, smiling gratefully nonetheless.

The trio made the quick trip from the curb to the apartment entrance, smiling at Blaine, the young dark-haired man who worked the night shifts as the doorman.

"Evening Mr Hummel, Miss Fabray, Miss Lopez." He nodded politely.

"Hello Blaine." Kurt answered with a shy smile, continuing to speak when he was sure they were out of earshot. "My, my. He is just delicious!"

"Kurt! That's so inappropriate." Quinn giggled, shoving him playfully.

"Oh, come on Q. I saw the looks you were giving the mailman and his dreadlocks the other day."

Quinn blushed, ducking her head shyly.

"That's different. Joe is... well, he's straight, for a start, meaning I actually have a chance!" she chuckled.

"Hey now! Blaine's sexuality is still way up in the air, and who knows? Maybe one day he'll emerge out of his closet sporting nothing but a bow tie and a pair of cut-off shorts, just looking for a sassy man to ravish him completely, and I'll be right there waiting for him!"

"You're ridiculous." Quinn chortled, as they all shuffled into the elevator, which had arrived moments earlier.

Santana let the soothing sounds of their conversation wash over her, tuning out their actual words. Her mind was swimming with thoughts about Brittany, wondering if she was alright. She just hoped that if Brittany woke up at some point, there would be someone there, because she hated to think of Brittany awakening to find herself all alone in an unfamiliar place. Her heart sank a little as she pictured Brittany lying in a hospital bed, small and alone, swathed in pristine white sheets, ears pricked intently, not knowing what was going on. She just hoped she could get to see her, and soon.

She was soon disturbed from her reverie by the loud ping emitted by the lift, as they reached Quinn and Kurt's floor.

They spilled out into the hallway, treading the familiar route to apartment 5B.

"Entre." Kurt said, in a mock-French accent, eliciting giggles from both girls.

"Okay, San, you're sleeping with me in my bed tonight." Quinn said simply, not giving Santana a chance to respond. "I'm not having you sleeping on the couch with the night you've had."

Santana looked at Quinn, her eyes filled with love and appreciation.

"Thanks Q."

"No big deal." The blonde smiled, before throwing an oversized T-shirt in Santana's direction. "You can wear this to sleep in. It's Sam's, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

Santana quickly shed herself of her clothing, pulling the worn albeit comfortable shirt over her head, before sitting down on the couch, her head cradled in her hands.

Kurt had already meandered over to his room, calling out a soft 'goodnight' before throwing himself unceremoniously onto his bed.

Quinn, however, saw Santana hunched over on the sofa, and quickly walked over to her, sitting next to her and placing her arm comfortingly around Santana's trembling shoulders.

"San? You okay?" she murmured, eyebrows furrowed with worry.

Santana merely shook her head, lip quivering.

"What if... I mean, she might not... look what the first head injury did to her, Q. Who knows what damage this one might do, and then she might not make it this tim-"

Santana choked, gasping as tears began streaming down her face, which was scrunched up in pain and fear. Quinn felt her heart sink, hating seeing her friend in such turmoil.

"Oh San."

She wrapped her arms firmly around Santana, her body wracked by violent sobs. A few minutes passed before Santana calmed down, dabbing her damp cheeks with the sleeve of her shirt.

"Look, San. They have some of the best doctors in Lima working at that hospital, and I'm sure they're going to do everything in their power to help Brittany get better. Okay?" Quinn spoke softly.

"Okay." Santana whispered.

"Good. Now, I think you need to get some sleep. Come on." Quinn stood, helping Santana to her feet. The blonde then wrapped her arm around Santana's waist, leading her over to the cream door to their left, behind which was Quinn's bedroom.

Quinn pushed open the door and Santana entered the room, which was dominated by the colossal double bed that lay in the middle of the room and commandeered most of the space.

"I'm never going to get over how massive this bed is." Santana said, shaking her head in awe.

"I know right." Quinn smirked from behind her, before diving under the covers. "Well, what are you waiting for? Get in here."

Santana obliged, sliding in between the satin sheets with a soft sigh. She turned to her right, adopting her familiar sleeping position with her legs curled up and her arms shielding her face. She was surprised to feel Quinn's arm snake around her waist a few seconds later, but quickly softened into the blonde's embrace, feeling utterly blessed to have been afforded such wonderful friends.

"Goodnight San." Quinn whispered, her breath tickling Santana's neck like the faintest breeze rustling through the curtains on a crisp spring morning.

"Goodnight Quinn."

* * *

Brittany was in critical condition for a while during her stay at the hospital; the blow to her head coupled with her blindness meant she had to be kept in the intensive care unit, so it was a good week or so before Santana received a call from the hospital saying she could visit. Hearing this only served to heighten Santana's worry, fearing something terrible had happened to her beloved.

She had called everyday, but was met with the same statements:

"We're doing the best she can."

"The most we can say at this point is that she is stable."

"We'll alert you if there are any changes in her condition."

But Santana was growing tired of hearing the same words repeated over and over again, and so was relieved when she finally got a call saying that she was needed down at the hospital.

She had jumped off the sofa and raced to her car immediately after receiving the phone call, sending a short text to Quinn and Kurt before setting off.

**-Hospital called. On my way now. I'll fill you in later. –S**

She then grabbed her seatbelt and pulled it down forcefully, thrusting the metal square into the allotted slot with a loud clunk, before pulling away from the curb rapidly.

She arrived at the hospital soon after, parking in the first spot she found, then leaping out of her car and practically running up the front steps and into the brightly-lit foyer of the building. She approached the front desk, Tina glancing up and greeting her with a friendly smile.

"Santana!"

"Hey Tina." She smiled pleasantly. "Look, I got a call saying I could see Britt, so I really need to know which room she's in please, so I can-"

Santana halted mid-sentence, as she noticed the expression on Tina's face, which seemed to be a mixture of remorse and sadness.

"Tina? What is it?"

"Well, it's just... they didn't call you down here so you could see Miss Pierce. The only way you could see her right now would be through the glass window that covers half of her room."

Santana's face fell as she dropped into a nearby chair, crestfallen.

"Then why... why did they call me here?"

"The doctor wanted to give you some important information, information that he didn't want to tell you over something as informal as a phone call. He'll be along in a minute, so if you could just wait there?"

Santana nodded dejectedly, feeling tears begin to build in her eyes.

"Miss Lopez?" she heard a voice a few minutes later, and looked up to see a pair of kind, brown eyes twinkling down at her from behind black-rimmed glasses. "Hello Miss Lopez. I'm Doctor Abrams."

Santana stood and greeted him with a handshake, wiping away one rebellious tear which was trickling defiantly down her tan cheek.

"Now, I'm not sure if Tina already informed you of this, but unfortunately you are still unable to visit Brittany, as she is still in a rather critical state. Although she is stable at the moment, we don't want to risk anything interrupting her healing process, so we have ruled that she have no visitors at this present time."

Santana nodded, attempting to keep up with the medical terminology.

"Now, there is a reason why we asked you to come here today, so, if you will." He gestured for her to follow him, presumably to his office. Her assumptions proved right, as moments later they entered a room of which the door was labelled 'Dr Abrams. PhD.'

The walls were covered with posters advocating smoking and discussing the perils of diseases, however the room itself was sparsely furnished; a gurney with a blue sheet slung over it was placed beneath the narrow window along the opposite wall, which Santana supposed was used to examine patients who came in with minor aches or illnesses, while to her right, Santana was met with a large desk and two padded blue chairs.

"Please, have a seat." The brunette man smiled, seating himself in the chair directly in front of the desk.

Santana's heart was hammering in her chest as she swallowed nervously, feeling a large lump that had formed in her throat.

"Now, before you start to feel too anxious, I want to put your mind at ease by saying that this is not bad news."

Santana let out a breath she didn't even realise she was holding in, feeling relief wash over her as the weight of her worry was lifted off her chest.

"After extensively examining Brittany's head injury, I found that no long-lasting damage was inflicted from the incident at the restaurant. The most she'll suffer is a minor headache for a few days."

Santana's heart soared at these words.

"But, I also discovered something else."

Even with the doctor's reassurance, Santana still felt her stomach drop at these words.

"W-what?" she stammered, almost too afraid to even ask.

"Well, after carrying out multiple x-rays and MRI scans, we have ascertained something incredible. It seems as though Miss Pierce's visual impairment may not be as permanent and irreversible as we first thought."

Santana simply stared at the doctor, unable to fully comprehend what he was saying.

"...Sorry?"

"Miss Lopez, it seems as though the swelling in her brain, that which initially rendered her sightless, has reduced. In fact, it has reduced so much that the pressure on her optic nerve has alleviated greatly, and we have found that the nerve isn't too badly damaged. In other words... with some specialist medication designed to reduce brain swelling, which should decrease the swelling even more over a substantial period of time, Brittany may in fact regain her sight. What I'm saying here is... sometime in the near future, she may be able to see again."

Santana sat frozen, her mouth opening and closing with no sound emerging, speechless.

"However, we won't know this for certain until the steroids begin to work, so we'll have to keep her here for a while longer so we can monitor her progress. Meaning, unfortunately, you won't be able to see her for quite some time."

But Santana had stopped listening, too captivated by those few magical words.

_She may be able to see again._

It was almost too good to be true.

They continued their meeting, Doctor Abrams finishing up by telling her that they would give her regular updates on Brittany's condition, and that she would be the first to know if there was any significant improvement in terms of the blonde's sight.

She walked out of the hospital in a daze, not really registering anything going on around her as she got into her car and drove home.

_She may be able to see again._

_See again._

_See again._

_See._

* * *

**Thanks for all the support you guys have given me! I hope this fic is moving fast enough for those of who wanted faster story development :) **


	9. Chapter 9

"Everything has its wonders, even darkness and silence, and I learn, whatever state I may be in, therein to be content." – Helen Keller

* * *

Santana paced up and down the living room of Rachel and Brittany's bungalow agitatedly, nibbling her lip and sighing exasperatedly every few seconds. Rachel was currently demonstrating her best 'shocked' face, while Puck was simply stunned into silence.

Santana had just broken the news concerning Brittany and the possibility of her regaining her sight. Naturally, both Puck and Rachel were utterly stunned, almost unable to even register the enormity of what they had just heard.

"I can't believe this." Rachel spoke softly. "I mean, after all this time, with us all believing that she might be blind for the rest of her life, and now… she may able to see again. It's unbelievable."

Santana momentarily stopped her frantic pacing and turned to face Rachel, her expression a mixture of hope and fear.

"I know Rach, but what if the treatment doesn't work? Or what if something goes wrong? I mean, she's just beginning to come to terms with her condition, and to give her hope for something that might not even happen, I mean, that'll destroy her."

Puck stood up from his seat upon the plush leather couch and crossed the room in a few strides, placing his arm comfortingly around Santana's shoulders, which she hadn't even realised were trembling sporadically.

"It's okay San." He reassured. "Those doctors are great, I had Doctor Abrams look after me after I got in a fight with some guy in a bar last year and had my face completely busted open, and look, now you can't even tell how mangled I was. I'm still as gorgeous as ever."

Despite her worry, Santana let out a small giggle at the mock-arrogant expression on Puck's face, while he chuckled delightedly.

"You'll see. Everything's going to be fine."

* * *

Due to the extent and complexity of the treatment she was receiving, Brittany was required to remain in the hospital for the next few months. These months were absolute torture for Santana.

She hadn't realised how many things reminded her of Brittany until she had to spend so much time apart from her. Waking up in the morning, she could smell the faintest traces of the blonde's perfume lingering on her pillow. Walking to her office in the more urban part of Lima, she saw ducks quacking in the pond in the centre of her local park; Brittany's favourite thing to do was to buy a loaf of bread and feed them. Santana revelled in the memory of Brittany laughing joyously as she listened to the garbles of a gaggle of friendly geese as they followed her around for an entire ten minutes, as Santana had perched on a bench and laughed along with her. Even when she was simply hanging out with Quinn or Kurt, she found constant reminders of Brittany everywhere she looked; in the coffee cups they gossiped over, in the television shows they watched and mocked, in the songs they listened to. Everything brought her back to one thought; Brittany.

It had gotten to the point where Santana didn't even want to leave her house, for fear of seeing something that would evoke that almost-constant ache she felt in her heart. All she wanted was to see Brittany, to see that wonderful, loving smile, to gaze upon her beautiful face, and to kiss her and hold her and just _be _with her. But she couldn't. So instead, she chose to hide herself away, losing herself to the bleak nothingness she felt without Brittany by her side. It was only now that she was realising just how much Brittany meant to her, and the feeling was both exhilarating and terrifying. But, she was suffering badly without Brittany there, and it was taking its toll on her.

She continued to make excuses for not going in to her office to work, claiming to her colleagues via email that she 'wasn't feeling too good' or that she simply 'worked better from home'. No one really questioned her as she was one of the best writers within Lima's agency for publishing and journalism, and so she managed to stay cooped up on her own in her apartment for a relatively large amount of time. However, it wasn't long before Quinn noticed an apparent lack of Santana in her life ever since she had told her and Kurt about Brittany, and so took it upon herself to see what was going on with her best friend.

* * *

"_Britt, over here!" Santana giggled._

_The blonde turned to face her, ocean-blue eyes fixed firmly on Santana's chocolate brown orbs._

"_I'm coming to get you!" Brittany cried, laughing as she began chasing Santana round the field, which was swathed in a blanket of the softest green grass, speckled with blooming, iridescent flowers, from deep purple violets to the brightest yellow daffodils. _

_Brittany gained on Santana quickly, her long legs giving her an advantage. It wasn't long before she was right behind the raven-haired girl, and she flung her arms around Santana's waist, tackling her to the ground but softening the blow by placing her arm beneath Santana's waist as they fell. Brittany then pulled Santana on top of her, until their bodies were pressed together, their noses almost touching. Santana's hair fell around their faces, a thick curtain isolating them from the rest of the world. That's how they felt when they were together; like they lived in their own little bubble, invincible, impenetrable, and irrevocably in love._

"_Got you." Brittany breathed, before leaning up and planting a tender kiss on Santana's pouty lips._

"_Britt?"_

"_Yeah babe?"_

"_Never let me go." _

_Santana then smiled down at Brittany, moving to the left until they were lying side by side. Brittany wrapped her arm around Santana's waist, pulling her closer until their bodies were moulded together._

_But suddenly, a deafening roar echoed around the serendipitous field in which they lay, as the ground began to tremble and quake violently. _

_A cavernous ravine abruptly opened up behind Brittany, small chunks of earth clattering into the abyss that lay below them. Strong, unyielding tendrils then shot out of the crevice, wrapping themselves mercilessly around Brittany's writhing body._

_Santana cried out in horror, tugging fruitlessly on the vines, but this only caused them to strengthen their hold on Brittany. Santana watched in terror as the coils began to retract, dragging Brittany with them as she struggled helplessly. _

_Santana could do nothing but watch her beloved as she was snatched away from her, sobbing and shaking with pain and fear…_

Santana's eyes sprung open as she was awoken abruptly by a persistent banging on her front door. She sat up swiftly, allowing her eyes a few seconds to adjust to the dim sunlight filtering through her half-cracked blinds. She realised with a yawn that she was in fact sprawled on the sofa in her living room, then remembering how she had flopped on it last night while despairingly listening to '_Constant Craving'_ on repeat. She reached up with her hand and felt dampness on her cheeks, realising with a sigh that she had been crying during her dream again, a habit that she had developed as of late. She cleared her throat and wiped away any remaining tears that had settled upon her tan cheeks, small translucent droplets resting innocently upon fields of wheat.

She then stood up sluggishly, grumbling moodily as she shuffled over to the door and peeked through the peep-hole that was at about eye-level. She was met with the determined face of Quinn, standing solidly with her arms crossed over her chest.

"San? I know you're in there. Open the door!"

Santana huffed in exasperation before flinging open the door, turning around hurriedly and making her way back to the sofa, hurling herself back under her duvet with a grunt. Quinn followed her in, quickly shadowing Santana until she was towering over the tan woman, who was currently curled up in a ball beneath the covers.

"Seriously?" Quinn sighed, before yanking the duvet off of Santana forcefully.

Santana cried out in anger, sitting up and glaring at Quinn. The short-haired blonde rolled her eyes as she took in Santana's dishevelled appearance; her hair was wild and unkempt, strands of it sticking out at all angles; her t-shirt was stained and rumpled, with various holes exposing tiny glimpses of Santana's midriff and shoulder; and her sweatpants were covered in various blemishes and what Quinn assumed were bits of food from previous meals Santana had eaten. But what took her by surprise the most was Santana's face. Her eyes were dark and sunken, staring at Quinn almost lifelessly; her cheeks, sallow and gaunt, were pale, while her lips were chapped and dry, each of Santana's breaths coming out in a soft rattle.

"Oh San." Quinn murmured, all of her previous anger forgotten as she sat down and pulled Santana towards her gently, wrapping her arm securely around Santana's waist.

Santana remained silent, the only sounds coming from her were the quiet whimpers she emitted every so often as Quinn held her and stroked her hair.

After a while, Quinn thought she should try to speak, maybe alleviate some of the worry and fear Santana was keeping caged up inside herself.

"San, look, I know you're worried now, but listen – she's going to be fine. The doctors are going to help her with the medication, and she'll be back here before you know it-"

"How do you know that?" Santana suddenly spoke, her voice hard and angry. "Tell me, Quinn, how do you know that? Because the last time I checked, you weren't a fucking doctor!"

Santana stood, visibly shaking with rage, while Quinn simply sat and stared up at her, dumbstruck.

"So don't fucking come in here, telling me she's just going to get _better_, because YOU DON'T KNOW THAT!" Santana spat. "No one fucking knows, and it's killing me being apart from her, not knowing how she's doing! She's probably lying in that damn hospital bed, absolutely terrified, and I can't even visit her and make sure she's okay! And I know I've only known her for a few months, and I KNOW that we've still got miles to go before anything serious can happen, but I CARE ABOUT HER. I care about her so much Quinn, and if I hear one more person say, "Oh, just stop worrying, she'll be okay", I'm going to fucking explode."

Santana suddenly let out a heavy sigh, her chest heaving, before dropping back onto the couch next to Quinn, cradling her head in her hands.

"I'm sorry," Santana choked out, a heavy feeling of despair settling over her heart. "It's just… I miss her, Quinn. I miss being with her, I miss seeing her every day… I just miss her."

"I know you do." Quinn soothed, reaching out and taking Santana's hand tenderly.

Santana smiled gratefully, grasping Quinn's hand as if it was an anchor, tethering her to the last remaining bit of sanity she had left.

"Okay San, so I know you don't really feel like doing anything apart from staying in your apartment all day, but how about you come over to our place and have some lunch with me and Kurt? It looks like you could use a good meal with some friends to perk you up." Quinn coaxed softly.

"Alright." Santana nodded, feeling as though she owed it to Quinn after screaming mercilessly at her for something that wasn't even her fault.

"Good." Quinn smiled. "So go and get dressed and I'll drive us back in a bit."

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" Santana questioned, apparently mystified as to why Quinn didn't approve of her current choice of attire.

"Just… change. Please."

"Fine." Santana huffed.

"Wow, she's really got you whipped." Quinn muttered in astonishment, remembering the days when Santana refused to even leave her apartment of her outfit wasn't impeccable.

"What was that?" Santana asked, poking her head out from her room.

"Nothing." Quinn smiled innocently, as Santana rolled her eyes then continued getting changed.

* * *

A few long, agonising months passed, with Santana floating through them; sometimes she had good days, where she laughed and went in to work and hung out with Quinn or Kurt or Rachel, but on other days, the bad days, it was as if she wasn't even really there. Although she managed to make it through most days without having another breakdown like the one she had had in front of Quinn, the Hispanic woman was still at a loss without her girlfriend. She often found herself daydreaming, sometimes in the middle of the street, just thinking about Brittany.

That was until Santana received a phone call that seemed to rejuvenate her in ways that friends and shopping trips could not.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Santana."

"Oh, hey Artie."

Santana had become rather familiar with the doctor and the staff at the hospital, due to her frequently persistent calls and queries regarding Brittany's condition.

"Is this another call to let me know that she's stable?" she sighed. She was so sick of hearing that damn phrase.

"Actually, no."

Santana perked up at this, her heart beginning to beat slightly faster.

"Oh?"

"It seems… well, after a solid few months of treatment, there has been some… improvement in Brittany's condition."

"Improvement? What do you mean?" Santana asked, her voice bordering on hopeful.

"You'll have to come and see for yourself." Santana could hear the smile in the doctor's voice.

"Does this… are you saying I can visit her now?"

"Yes, Santana. You can visit her now."

The words were barely out of his mouth before Santana was barrelling out of the front door, grabbing her keys and shoes and racing down the stairs until she reached the car park below the high-rise apartment block she lived in.

* * *

Santana was pretty sure that she broke a number of laws while she sped manically towards the hospital, but road regulations were the last thing on her mind at this moment in time. She tapped her finger on the steering wheel impatiently, growling vehemently at any traffic light that dared to stop her on her quest to reach Brittany.

She felt like the heroes she read about in the stories she adored so much, racing to rescue the fair maiden and bring her back to their castle, where they could live happily ever after.

"But this ain't no fairytale." She muttered to herself wryly, before the light turned green and she sped off once again.

She arrived at the hospital a short while later, swinging her car erratically into the first parking space she could see, then shoving open her door with enough force to knock over an old lady. She slammed the door shut behind her, making sure her car was locked before sprinting towards the stairs leading up to the entrance, clearing them two at a time.

Tina looked up as Santana burst through the doors, her face flushed, eyes bright and frantic.

"Room 323." Tina told her with a smile.

Santana rasped out a quick "Thanks", before dashing towards the elevator. She pressed the button impatiently several times, until the waiting became simply unbearable. She decided to take the stairs, pushing forcefully on the door leading to the stairwell, not wanting to waste any more precious seconds of time she could be spending with her beloved. She zipped up the three flights of stairs, grateful that her regular exercise regime left her in rather good shape. She made it up to the third floor in record time, charging into the corridor, eyes scanning the door numbers like a hawk stalking its prey. She saw that she was near the lower end of the room numbers, and so took off, running determinedly, her Converses thumping rhythmically on the linoleum beneath her. She finally reached Room 323, and came to a halt, facing the door head-on. Her heart was thumping wildly in her chest, her breath coming out in short, sharp pants.

She braced herself, placing her hand lightly on the door handle, before turning it and pushing the door open slowly…

* * *

**Okay, so I know most of you probably want to murder me after that cliffhanger, so I apologise for that. However, I wanted to give you all something to look forward to, in terms of the last chapter, so now hopefully this has left you wanting more, which you shall get in the next update. **

**Thanks again for all of the support you guys have all given this story, I appreciate**** it all so much.**


	10. Chapter 10

"Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind." – William Shakespeare

* * *

Santana's heart was pounding with such force, she was sure it was going to burst forth from her chest at any moment. The door of room 323 creaked open slowly in front of her, the hinges letting out a barely audible squeak as the interior of the room was revealed, Santana waiting with baited breath.

The room itself was murky, soft light filtering in through the partly-drawn blinds that hung breezily over the large windows across the room. Santana allowed a moment for her eyes to adjust, squinting, before looking over to the bed, almost passing out at the mere sight of the blonde she had been so desperately waiting for.

"Brittany." Santana breathed in exultation, exhilarated as she saw Brittany right ahead of her, propped up in bed with white patches covering each of her eyes, the television droning on softly in the background.

"…Santana?"

And then she was running.

Running across the room, gathering Brittany up in her arms, peppering kisses all over smooth, pale skin.

"Britt." She mumbled, burying her face in the blonde's hair, wrapping her arms around Brittany's shoulders.

"Santana, I can't believe– I mean, I didn't know– God, I've missed you so much!" Brittany gasped, holding Santana to her as if she thought the woman was going to float away.

"I've missed you too." Santana replied earnestly.

A few minutes passed with the two women simply holding each other, Santana resting her forehead on Brittany's cheek, until the Hispanic woman couldn't hold her burning questions in any longer.

"Britt, just tell me. What have the doctors said? Has their treatment worked? Will you– I mean, can you–?"

Santana trailed off uncertainly, absentmindedly picking at some fluff protruding from the bed sheet as she laced her fingers through Brittany's.

"Well," Brittany began quietly, "Okay– long story short… everything went well, I mean, my body accepted the steroids, they had no trouble with the medication, no serious side effects–," she took a deep breath before continuing, "So, what I'm saying is… the treatment worked. It worked, San. I'm going to– I mean, I can–"

Brittany's sentence tailed off, the atmosphere in the room suddenly becoming a lot heavier.

Santana was frozen by Brittany's announcement, her body being wracked simultaneously by feelings of elated joy and utter shock.

"San–?"

"I, uh– just give me a moment."

They sat in silence for a minute or so, the only sound that could be heard was the soft ticking of the clock above the door.

"Take off my bandages." Brittany said softly a few moments later, breaking the dense stillness that had descended over the room.

"What?"

"Take off my bandages." Brittany said, a little firmer this time.

Santana eventually complied, tentatively reaching up to gently pry the pristine patches off each of Brittany's eyes. The blonde closed them once each bandage was off, which Santana noticed, furrowing her brow in perplexity.

"What, uh– why are your eyes shut?"

"Because I want to prepare myself for when I finally see you." Brittany whispered.

Santana swallowed apprehensively, only then realising how nervous she was and how much she had been simultaneously longing for and dreading this moment.

"O– okay." Brittany stuttered. "Here goes nothing."

* * *

A blink. Another blink. Eyelids connecting every few seconds, splashes of colour appearing and disappearing with reckless abandon. Eyes flitting around, looking for a specific place to land.

There.

Tan, caramel skin, lush and tantalising. Plump, pink lips, upturned into a caring smile. Dark, almond eyes, twinkling lovingly. And raven-black hair, shining beautifully even amongst the dim hospital lighting.

Santana.

Brittany was rendered entirely speechless for a moment, unable to comprehend that the woman she was gazing upon was actually real.

"You're an angel." She breathed, watching in delight as Santana's cheeks flushed the most beautiful shade of pink Brittany had ever seen. "You're even more beautiful than I imagined."

* * *

Enamoured.

That's how Brittany would describe herself in that moment in time, when retelling this story to friends and family in the future. She was completely, irrevocably, utterly enamoured by Santana and her sheer, infallible beauty.

She found herself unable to speak any more after uttering those few words, entirely captivated by the breath-taking, exquisite woman who stood before her.

* * *

Santana felt like she was being judged, scrutinised on every aspect of her appearance. But, contrary to past situations, this form of judgment did not make her feel wrong, or tainted, or like she should be ashamed.

Brittany's eyes, those beautiful, crystal-blue eyes, now so full of life, raked over her form, studying every little detail, as if she wanted to memorise Santana's entire anatomy.

They had ended up like this, Santana standing a few feet away from Brittany's bed, when the blonde had insisted that Santana stand across from her, so she could see her properly. This had progressed into Brittany simply gazing at Santana, love-struck, her face dominated by an expression of total awe and wonder.

"How did I get so lucky?" she whispered in amazement, so quiet that Santana merely heard it as one would hear the slight crunch of leaves or the almost inaudible rustle of pages.

A few moments later, Santana strode back over to the bed, unable to restrain herself any longer. She perched next to Brittany, lacing her fingers with the blonde's outstretched hand, before leaning forwards and planting a sweet, languid kiss on Brittany's soft lips.

"God, I've missed kissing you."

* * *

Brittany was required to stay in hospital for another week or so, under observation, just to ensure that everything involving her treatment was continuing as successfully as it had been. But, just over a week and half later, after daily visits from Santana and quite a few from both Puck and Rachel, Brittany was given the all-clear and was discharged from the hospital's care.

Santana drove to pick Brittany up after receiving a call from the hospital the previous day, Rachel, Puck and Quinn accompanying her on the ride over. After collecting Brittany's things and thanking Doctor Abrams repeatedly for everything he had done for her girlfriend, Santana led the blonde out to the car, holding her hand tightly as Brittany surveyed the bright new world that was just waiting for her to discover and explore it. The ride back to Brittany and Rachel's bungalow was a cheery one, filled with cavalier singing and many hugs for Brittany, who was seated in the back, sandwiched between a grinning Puck and a rather ecstatic Rachel.

Brittany, meanwhile, was overwhelmed by the fresh, vibrant world around her. Bright flashes of colour flooded her vision, assaulting her eyes in the most wondrous way possible. She couldn't help but let out a little squeak of excitement every time she spotted something new, be it something as simple as a dog foraging in the grass along the sidewalk, or a woman running to reclaim her hat back from the grasps of the blustering, unyielding wind that was blowing relentlessly outside.

They arrived back at the bungalow a short while later, all in high spirits. Brittany yelled excitedly when she was greeted at the door by Lord Tubbington, scooping him up in her arms and nuzzling her face into his fur, gazing upon his portly form with a loving smile.

Quinn said her goodbyes and left soon after, Kurt picking her up and driving her back to their place of residence, leaving Puck to meander around aimlessly while Rachel helped Brittany unpack her few items from the hospital, while Santana perched on the bed and watched, her eyes tenaciously following Brittany's every move.

But the blonde kept growing more and more distracted, more often than not stopping to plant kisses on Santana's lips, cheeks, and forehead, until Rachel couldn't stand feeling like such a prominent third wheel any longer.

"Okay Britt, you're all unpacked." She announced, hastily making her way towards the door. "I figured you two would want some alone time today, so Puck and I are going to the theatre and then we'll be out late having dinner."

Puck, upon hearing his name, entered the room, smiling kindly at Brittany before adopting his signature Puckerman smirk.

"Yeah, we're seeing a show called Cats. I'm just hoping this means that there'll be lots of pussy–"

"Okay, time to go!" Rachel interrupted, yanking Puck towards the door.

He winked cheekily at Brittany, and then allowed himself to be dragged out by a rather embarrassed Rachel, much to both Brittany and Santana's amusement.

"God, Puck's ridiculous." Santana chuckled as she hopped off the bed, walking to check her hair in the mirror.

But Brittany barely even heard her speak; she was too captivated by Santana. The way her hips swayed enticingly as she walked, the subtle, alluring curve of her calves beneath her jeans, the teasing swell of her breasts just peeking out from the top of her tight-fitting vest.

"Hey you." Brittany purred, as she sidled over to Santana, placing her hands on either side of Santana's waist and locking eyes with her in the mirror.

"Hey." Santana smiled, although her expression faltered slightly when she saw the lust in Brittany's eyes. "Britt–?"

"San, I want you. No– I need you."

Santana was about to disagree, to tell Brittany that she needed to rest for a while before they did anything like _this_, but her words were stolen from her lips when Brittany dragged her hands teasingly up Santana's stomach, resting them atop her breasts, massaging them gently yet firmly.

"Come to bed with me. Let me make you feel as good as you make me feel. Please."

Santana could hear the want, the need in Brittany's voice, but there was something else, lingering just below the surface; a sense of pride. Brittany wanted to prove something, wanted to prove that she was good enough for Santana.

And although Santana thought Brittany was in fact _too_ good for her, she understood why Brittany needed this. And so she crumbled, giving in to her body's animalistic, primitive desires. And when Brittany led her over to the bed, climbing up and straddling her, she sighed in ecstasy, as Brittany began peppering her neck with frantic kisses and gentle nibbles. Santana then locked her legs around Brittany's waist for a moment, holding the blonde still, effectively stopping her previous ministrations upon Santana's neck. When Brittany gazed down at Santana, confusion etched into her features, the mocha-skinned woman held her face in her hands and leant up, pulling Brittany into a passionate, languorous kiss, breaking away moments later, face flushed, breath coming out in rapid pants.

"I love you, Brittany."

"And I love you, Santana."

And with that, they gave in to each other entirely, losing themselves in a flurry of tangled limbs and feelings of unencumbered euphoria; whispered promises of eternal love drifted around the room, settling over them like the dust that adorned the farthest corners of the bookshelves in the library where their journey had first begun.

* * *

**Well, that was one eventful fic to write. Sad to see it come to an end, although I'm so grateful to each and every one of you who tagged along for the ride.**

**Just a few little things to clear up, as some of you had queries concerning these points: the second blow to Brittany's head did NOT cause her to regain her sight. The doctors simply noticed the change in the swelling of her brain during the scans they executed while making sure her injuries weren't too severe. Also, the reason for Santana being unable to visit Brittany was due to the fact that she's not immediate family, so wasn't permitted visitation rights. So yes, I'm very sorry for any confusion regarding this part.**

**Aside from that, this fic has received an overwhelming amount of support, which has simply astounded me. Thank you to all of you who've reviewed, subscribed, favourited, and to you silent readers as well. I appreciate every single one of you.**

**So, I think I've covered everything for now. I should be uploading a few one-shots to keep the ball rolling in the near future, until I find a concrete idea for my next multi-chaptered fic. Until then, I hope you all stick around, and stay awesome everyone! :)**


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